


The Final Raid

by demonofabove



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Angst, Betrayal, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Found Family, KakaIru Valentines Week 2021, M/M, Smut, Soulmates, Swordfighting, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:01:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 28,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29257122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonofabove/pseuds/demonofabove
Summary: Iruka and his crew succeed in a raid of the Navy ship they ambushed; however, when it's time to go, Iruka gets captured, and is stuck aboard the White Fang. He has to get back to his crew - theyneedhim; but why does he want to take his time when he meets the captain of the ship?Why does he want to be with Kakashi?
Relationships: Hagane Kotetsu/Kamizuki Izumo, Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Mitarashi Anko/Shiranui Genma
Comments: 46
Kudos: 55
Collections: KakaIru Valentine's Week 2021





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second (and hopefully not last) fic for Valentine's Week, written for the Soulmates prompt! I had a lot of fun writing it, and I am super excited to share the final product! 
> 
> It took me exactly four weeks to finish, and is now my longest completed fic, beating [Tunnel Vision](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21752806/chapters/51898213), which is approx. 24.6k words!
> 
> Please enjoy!

"Argh!" Iruka grunted, his face twisting into a grin as he swung his sword to block an attack.

He and his crew were so close to taking what they needed from this Navy ship - the White Fang, he remembered it was called. Somehow, they had lucked out, and the ship only had five people on board - one more person than he had for this mission; and after being taken by surprise, most of the people they'd faced were now out of commission, and Mizuki had just finished raiding their medical supplies; and he was now sneaking back to their own ship, the Night Stalker to give Anko the antibiotics she needed for her pneumonia. Kotetsu and Izumo had just taken down the last crew member, too, and were standing guard, making sure none of them woke up or surprised them with a sudden attack; and all that was left was to defeat the captain. It couldn't have gone any smoother if he tried.

Iruka used his blade to push the captain's sword away, and when they weren't touching anymore, he quickly twisted his wrist, swinging his sword down and forward in a perfect arc, aiming right for his opponent's waist. He added more strength in the attack just as the blade was about to make impact, but the captain side-stepped just as it was about to hit; and all he cut into was thin air.

Iruka had been expecting that, but he was intrigued, as he'd made the attack on his opponent's blind side, and most people he'd fought wouldn't have been able to defend themselves from it. He took a better look at the captain, and saw that he was a man who didn't look much older than himself, besides the grey-silver hair that was softly shining in the moonlight; and he had fierce steel blue eyes, brought out by his deep blue captain's jacket, one of them, his left, covered by a dark leather eye patch that matched his pants. 

The smart, graceful way he moved with a sword showed he'd clearly had a lot of experience and was worthy of being captain; but Iruka knew that experience on its own just wouldn't cut it - you had to play dirty if you wanted to win; and this man had only been doing everything by the books so far. Iruka would have to show him how it's really done.

The captain swung his sword at him in a neck high horizontal strike; and as he ducked out of the way and dodged the attack, the strike was changed into a vertical movement, the captain's blade moving almost as fast as he could blink; and Iruka did a side roll out of the way, barely making it in time.

He stood up again, quickly calculating that he had only a couple of seconds before the captain could attack again; and without hesitation, he sliced into the taut ropes that were keeping the sails in place, and leapt back as he tried to quickly come up with another plan of attack.

The captain easily dodged the sails that swung uncontrollably towards him - he didn't even turn around to look at them; and he quickly caught up to Iruka, who had jumped back and cut another group of taut ropes. They continued to lock blades in the hazardous mess, evenly matched with one another; and Iruka was beginning to feel desperate - he _had_ to win this fight no matter what.

As he fought, he surveyed the ship, looking to see if there was anyone who hadn't returned to the Night Stalker yet; and when his eyes scanned the pile of unconscious bodies on the deck, he found Kotetsu and Izumo still standing there, gripping their swords tightly, watching him as they waited. They were clearly ready to jump back into battle and provide back-up; and relief filled Iruka - he just might have the advantage after all. They were usually lazy and tried to get out of work just so they could spend time with each other on increasingly wild, more explicit dates - they were _very_ affectionate lovers; but when they got serious, they were great assets.

Iruka gave them a quick nod, and picked up the speed in his attacks, and added more strength to his movements to try and take the lead in the fight as he watched Kotetsu and Izumo sneak around the ship. If he was right about what they were up to, he had to lure the captain back towards the bow of the ship for the plan to work.

The captain grit his teeth in frustration, trying his best to stay put or dominate the battle, himself; but inch by inch he was slowly being pushed back; and it became clear to Iruka that he hadn't faced someone as good as himself in a while. Iruka was growing exhausted, too, as he continued forward - if he was being honest, this was the most challenging fight he'd had yet; but he wasn't going to give up yet - he _couldn't_.

Finally, Iruka got the captain where he wanted him; and he quickly turned his attention to Kotetsu and Izumo, who were squatting in position, watching him, waiting for his signal. And when he made eye contact with them, they all knew… It was time to finish this battle.

"Now!" Iruka yelled.

The captain hesitated for a split second, his lone eye quickly scanning the ship to find out what was happening and locate the enemy crew; and Iruka used the opportunity to knock him right in the centre of the deck as he watched Kotetsu and Izumo tip over a couple of crates of small cannonballs behind his opponent, aiming right for where they were fighting.

The cannonballs spread across the deck with a loud **_thud_** , their directions guided by the night's waves rocking the ship; and Iruka leapt back, jumping onto a nearby crate to keep away from the mess - even if the balls weren't rolling that fast, getting your foot caught between them, or having them hit your ankle, even though boots, could really hurt; and he wasn't about to let that happen again.

The captain was stuck. There was nowhere for him to go without getting caught in the cannonballs; but his determined, calculating eyes had Iruka intrigued - he looked confident that he could get out of the trap, despite the fact that Kotetsu and Izumo continued to tip cannonballs over the floor, and it was looking more and more impossible to escape from.

Suddenly, the captain dropped his sword, and sprung from the ground in a vertical jump, kicking off with his thick, heavy boots; and reaching a very impressive metre off the ground, he was _just_ able to get a grip on the wooden base of one of the sails that were swinging about. The sail took him past the range of the majority of cannonballs, right towards Iruka; and with a powerful swing, he jumped off, landing on the crate that he was standing on.

Iruka's eyes widened in surprise as the captain flew right for him; and when he landed, the force titled the crate heavily; and he and Iruka both lost their balance and fell to the deck. The captain's arms instinctively extended, his hands grabbing for the floor to stop him from hitting his head; but instead of thumping into the hard deck, his landing was cushioned. And when he opened his eyes, he found himself straddling Iruka, with his hands had clasped around his.

The captain quickly let go, and gripped his wrists instead; and Iruka gasped as he felt an intense shiver pass through him, almost like an electric shock; and he stared up at the captain, his heart fluttering wildly as his body began to tingle with a warm euphoric feeling. His head became muddled and dizzy as the intimate sensation intoxicated him; and suddenly he couldn't help but feel like he was gazing into a lover's eyes, like he'd seen this man before, and they'd spent many nights together.

He wanted to reach up and touch his cheek, to slip the captain's eye patch off and study all the details on his face, from the scar peeking from his hidden left eye, to the small mark besides those soft lips that he was strangely eager to kiss; and judging by the surprise and confusion in the captain's expression and the way his cheeks became tinged with a slight blush, Iruka could see that he wanted that, too. But what was going on? Why did they want each other so much, when they'd clearly just been nothing more than enemies moments ago?

Suddenly, a switch seemed to flick in the captain's head; and the moment passed as he pulled a dagger out of a pouch strapped to his leg, that had been hidden beneath his jacket, and pressed it into Iruka's throat, his expression dangerous. Iruka tilted his head back, and swallowed, his heart pounding fast as he felt the tip dig into his skin.

"Take another step closer, and he dies."

Iruka turned his head awkwardly when he heard cursing, and saw that Kotetsu and Izumo had been creeping over, having planned a sneak attack on the captain.

"Guys, go back to the ship." He said. "He's good. I don't want you getting hurt."

"We're not leaving without you."

"Yes, you are. That is an order." He replied sternly. "I'll be okay, I promise."

"But Iruka -!"

"No buts. I'm clearly not going to be released, and the only reason you haven't been captured too, is because there's no one around to do it. I need you to get back on that ship, and sail away from here, while you still can. Make sure that Anko gets treated, and look after Naruto for me. I know he's tough for a kid, but he's irrational, too; and I know that if all three of us are missing, he's only going to get himself into trouble. He needs guidance; and while Anko is sick, and Mizuki still new to the crew, you're the only ones I can rely on. So please… Go back to the ship and take care of him for me, and continue on our route. I'll be back as soon as I can." 

"No, Ru!" Kotetsu argued. "You always say no one gets left behind. That applies to you, too."

"Not this time..." Iruka swallowed nervously, very aware of the captain's curious gaze piercing right into his soul.

"Come on." Izumo said softly, placing a hand on Kotetsu's shoulder. "Let's put our faith in Iruka. When has he ever let us down before?"

Kotetsu grew silent as he took in Iruka's pleading face, and processed Izumo's words; and as it finally became clear that he was fighting a losing battle, he sighed and straightened up.

"Alright." He huffed. "But you'd _better_ come back, or next time we find this ship, there won't be any survivors…" He threatened, staring daggers into the back of the captain's head.

The captain raised his free hand lazily in response, giving them permission to leave with no more harm done; and Kotetsu and Izumo slowly retreated back to the Night Stalker.

Moments after they left, Iruka heard a groan nearby, like someone had just woken up.

"Kakashi, are you okay?" They called out.

"Yes, I'm fine, Asuma." He replied. "More importantly, how is everyone else?"

"Injured and out to it, but no casualties by the looks of it."

"Can you move?"

"Yeah."

"Good. I'd like you to take this pirate off my hands and lock him up."

"Yes, Captain."

Kakashi took one last look at Iruka, taking in his features; and when Asuma arrived, he almost didn't want to hand him over, despite his order to take him away. He'd been intrigued from the moment they'd clashed, as he hadn't been in such a challenging fight in a while; and even though Iruka was an enemy, he had to admit he wanted to know more about him.

Kakashi went back to normal when Iruka was gone, besides a strange attraction still lingering in his chest; and while he had a moment to himself, he looked up at the sky and gazed at the stars wearily, his hand over his heart, as the night's events caught up with him.

What _was_ that, when he touched Iruka? Why did he have such intense feelings for a _pirate_?

It was despicable.


	2. Chapter 2

Iruka was frustrated. He was locked in what he suspected used to be a small supply room, tied to a chair; and he had nothing to do except sit in the dark and peer through a rectangle that had been cut out of the wooden door, though there wasn't much to look at this early in the morning, except for dark silhouettes. He supposed it was his own fault for getting caught picking the lock on his cell door, but still… He couldn't even scratch his nose, which had started to itch just moments ago. It was really driving him crazy, and he had to do something about it. Maybe if he could get his wrists untied…

Iruka sighed, wishing he still had his captain's jacket. He kept a switchblade hidden in the sleeve for emergencies; but before he went on the raid, he had given the jacket to Naruto, who had been begging to come with them, again. Giving him that and telling him that he was in charge until the crew came back, and that his duty was to protect their ship had been the only thing he could think to do to convince him to not try and follow them and put himself in danger. It had worked at the time, but now that he wasn't on the ship to take charge, Iruka just hoped he wouldn't do anything crazy now...

Suddenly, the room he was locked in seemed to become even darker; and Iruka looked up to find that something was blocking the viewing hole on the door, hiding the sky and everything else he'd been able to make out. He heard the sound of someone fiddling with the lock and latch; and when they opened the door, Iruka quickly took in their profile, determining it was a man with wild hair; and when he saw how it shone under the moonlight, he found himself getting more and more worked up by the second. He knew exactly who it was.

"Nice of you to finally show yourself, _Kakashi_." He said. "You have some explaining to do."

"Excuse me?" Kakashi stared at him in confusion and cocked his head to the side. Did someone hit Iruka's head too hard during the raid?

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about! What kind of god damn pervert are you, using an aphrodisiac in battle?!"

"An aphrodisiac? Huh?" Yep, he had definitely been knocked too hard on the head.

"You know, when you knocked me over and pinned me down!" Iruka snapped. "That was low. No one in my crew would ever do that, and we're pirates!"

"Hey! Don't go blaming me for what you've done." Kakashi growled angrily. " _You_ clearly seduced _me_ when I fell on top of you!"

"I most certainly did not." Iruka hissed, glaring at Kakashi, his expression wild and dangerous.

Kakashi matched his glare, furious that he'd been accused of something like that; and Iruka's look only became more menacing.

"Fuck me…" He muttered to himself.

All he had come by to do was see if Iruka needed to use the bathroom, since he'd been tied up for a while; and he wasn't in the mood for this. In fact, if Iruka was going to be this aggressive from the moment he saw him, well he could wait until daybreak, when someone else took over.

"Excuse me?"

"I was using the expression, you idiot." Kakashi sighed exasperatedly. "Why am I even arguing with you, anyway? I don't have to explain anything to a criminal. This is ridiculous."

He stepped back, and reached for the door again, deciding once and for all to leave; but as it closed, he caught Iruka's lips moving.

"Pervert." He said, his voice half muffled from the other side of the door.

Kakashi aggressively opened the door again, his blood boiling; and he leered at Iruka, his eyes piercing into his threateningly.

"Just what makes you think I want anything to do with you in the first place?" He asked lowly.

"Because you keep coming back for more…" Iruka said, a dangerous glint sparking in his eye, and a hint of a smile creeping on his lips, daring him to do something. "And you can't take your eyes off me."

Kakashi paced closer to Iruka, maintaining eye contact with him; and when he was standing right in front of him, he bent down to face level, keeping his head just inches away from him, and stared him down silently. As he took in his profile, he couldn't help but notice Iruka's provocative gaze, how he kept on stealing glances at his lips like there was nothing more he wanted to do than press his own against them; and for just an instant, for a split second, Kakashi felt drawn to him, like he wanted that, too.

The tension in the air thickened as they gazed at each other in silence; and finally, Kakashi leaned forward, tilting his head to the side as he closed the space between his and Iruka's faces. Iruka tilted his head slightly in response, his eyes quickly flicking from his eyes to his lips and back again, his body waiting to be kissed; but Kakashi never kissed him. Instead, he leaned past his face, to the side of his head, and whispered in his ear.

"You raided my ship, attacked my comrades, and are now my prisoner." He murmured, his hot breath tickling Iruka's neck, sending goosebumps along his skin. "Why _wouldn't_ I be watching you?"

When Kakashi pulled back, he studied Iruka's expression, and could almost see a reflection of himself. He was filled with desire; and that confused him a lot, because he didn't want to feel this way - it was wrong. It shouldn't be this easy to fall for someone you didn't know, that your only interaction with has been conflict.

"Well you'd better limit yourself to _only_ watching, or when my crew comes back, you're going to regret it."

"We'll see about that."

Kakashi backed off from Iruka, and gave him a quick once-over, starting from the gold sleeper earring that was shining gently in the moonlight, his toned chest peeking through the V cut of his dirty white long-sleeved shirt, and then down to his brown pants, which were hugging his legs; and he raised an eyebrow before turning to leave the small room. When he reached the doorway, he turned back, a smirk creeping on his face as he stared into Iruka's now curious eyes.

"By the way," He said. "It looks to me like _you're_ the pervert."

Iruka followed Kakashi's eyes down to his crotch, spotting an erection that had started to grow; and his face grew bright red as he became more and more embarrassed with every second that ticked by.

Kakashi chuckled as he walked out, raising his hand in a two finger salute; and as he closed the door behind him and locked it back up again, he made eye contact with Iruka once last time and winked.

"See ya." He said, as he finally walked off.

"Asshole!" Iruka shouted, glaring daggers into Kakashi's back as he watched him disappear.

He was going to fucking _kill_ him when he had the chance.


	3. Chapter 3

When midday came, Iruka had been taken back to his cell, after Kakashi's crew had taken pity on him being trapped in a hot space, unable to move; and the moment he'd been moved back, he'd had a constant watch on him so that he didn't get a chance to try and escape again. Not that he could do anything without his tools, which had been taken away when he was caught before; but they didn't need to know that.

There had been several shift changes as the day went on; and as Iruka got to know the crew - he'd been bored and managed to wheedle some conversation out of a couple of people; he had decided that he didn't mind them. Kakashi had found some good people.

"Yo."

Iruka sat up on the stiff wooden bed in his cell, and glared out the bars of his cell. Kakashi was walking downstairs into the White Fang's jail, carrying a tray of food; and he had a content smile on his face as he made his way to the guard sitting on a crate next to a makeshift table. He wanted to rub that expression right off his face. How dare he use an aphrodisiac to distract him in battle, and then suddenly act like nothing even happened!

"Captain." The man who had been watching him said with a nod, flicking a strand of straw to the other side of his mouth. "Is my shift already over?"

"Yes. I trust there wasn't any trouble?"

"Not at all. He's been pretty quiet for the past hour."

"What about earlier on?" Kakashi asked with a small frown.

"He was just chatty. Didn't really say anything important."

"Okay. Thank you, Genma."

"Do you need me to do anything else before I leave?"

"No." Kakashi replied. "Dinner's ready, so get yourself something to eat and go and rest up. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Thanks." Genma replied, getting up from the crate. "You know where to find me if you need me before daybreak."

Without another word, he ascended the stairs, leaving for his break; and soon, only Kakashi and Iruka remained. Only a few seconds passed before Kakashi made his way over to the cell, carrying the tray of food he'd brought in; and when he reached Iruka, he squatted down and carefully slid it through the food slot that had been built into the metal bars.

"Here." He said, retracting his hand. "Eat something."

Iruka hopped off his bed and walked over to the tray, eyeing it off suspiciously as he studied the contents - a chicken soup filled with an assortment of vegetables, and a couple of dinner rolls. As a prisoner, he hadn't expected to get fed. He'd been captured a few times before, and had always been starved; but this time, despite raiding the ship, he'd been offered food at every meal so far, like any regular person.

Everything looked fresh, too, like he had been given the same food as the rest of the people on this ship; but despite being eager for something nice for a change - his crew wasn't _terrible_ at cooking, but they certainly weren't great, either, so they usually survived off canned and packaged food when they were at sea; he had to be cautious. He was in enemy territory after all.

"You can take it back." Iruka said, squatting down to push the tray back out of his cell. "I'm not hungry."

"You haven't eaten all day. Of course you are."

"How do I know you haven't spiked the soup with something? I'm not eating it." Iruka said stubbornly, sitting on the ground in front of the food gap, ready to push it back out again if necessary.

Kakashi sighed. It was going to be a long night if Iruka was going to be like this.

"Will you eat if I take a bite first, to prove that there's nothing in it?"

Iruka shrugged, daring him to go through with it. If it really wasn't spiked with anything, good, he could eat; but if it was and Kakashi poisoned or drugged himself, well, he would deserve it for trying to do that to _him_. It would be a win, either way.

Kakashi pulled the tray back to himself, and picked up the spoon had been supplied, and stuck it in the soup, twirling it around to show Iruka that no matter where he scooped, if there was anything in the soup, he would end up getting a spoonful of it.

Iruka watched as Kakashi dipped the spoon in the bowl, filling it with liquid, and a small chunk of carrot that slipped inside; and he brought it to his mouth, and gently blew on it. Iruka caught Kakashi's careful gaze; and as his breath, and the aroma of the soup reached him, his heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly became a little lightheaded. He felt intoxicated, like he wanted to collapse into Kakashi's arms, and he really needed to get some air; but when Kakashi swallowed his spoonful of soup, he found himself frozen, almost like the atmosphere had thickened and was holding him down.

When Kakashi was done, he put the spoon back down; and Iruka couldn't take his eyes off his wet lips. It was the same feeling he'd had before, where his chest had swelled with a sudden euphoria and giddiness, like he was spending time with a lover; and as he gazed at him, he finally saw that Kakashi had been telling the truth before. He _hadn't_ used an aphrodisiac on him… But what the hell was happening, instead?

"I suggest you eat the bread, at least." Kakashi finally said, his cheeks growing warm after being studied so intensely; and he pushed the tray back over to Iruka again before leaving to sit at the crate.

When Kakashi left, it took a small moment before the spell wore off and he finally recovered; and he pulled the tray over to himself, deciding that he would actually eat. As he stared at it, the chicken soup's aroma even stronger now, and somehow smelling even more delicious, his stomach grumbled loudly, making Kakashi chuckle; and he finally grabbed his spoon and dipped it in the soup.

"Thank you." He said as he grabbed his spoonful and carefully slurped his first taste.

An explosion of flavour hit Iruka's tongue, and he widened his eyes in pleasant surprise. He thought it had _smelled_ delicious, but the taste was better than any chicken soup he'd ever had in his life - including the time he'd tasted some at a fancy royal banquet when he was pretending to be a waiter to steal as much food as he could for Naruto, when it had just been the two of them.

As Iruka ate, Kakashi studied him with interest. For someone who claimed he wasn't hungry, he sure was eating fast, like he'd never had anything like it before; and he briefly wondered what kind of diet Iruka had, if he was scoffing this fast, like he'd been malnourished for most of his life. Judging by his strong build, he clearly wasn't malnourished, so maybe he was just hungrier than he let on? Whatever the case, Kakashi was happy to see that he was finally eating now, and was enjoying it so much. Iruka might be a little difficult at times, but he was still very intriguing.

"Uh, compliments to the chef. That was delicious." Iruka awkwardly said when he finished, sliding his empty bowl, spoon, and tray back through the food slot in the door. "Actually, delicious is an understatement."

"Maa, I didn't realise my cooking was that good." Kakashi replied, a slight blush creeping on his face.

"Wait. _You_ cooked this?" Iruka asked, his eyes widening as he stared at him in surprise. "But you're the captain!"

"You don't ever cook for _your_ crew?" Kakashi asked, equally surprised. He didn't know why - maybe because of how much Iruka seemed to care for his crew, and because of their loyalty towards him; but he'd had the impression that was something he would do.

"Well, I…" Iruka turned away, his face flushed. "None of us cook, really… At least, not often."

"Because you don't like to, or because you don't know how?"

"We're pirates that have been on the run since we were kids - what do _you_ think?"

"Ah. Never got the chance to learn, then."

Iruka looked up at Kakashi curiously. He'd been expecting to get mocked for not being able to cook, for not being able to make even the simplest of dishes - especially after their clashes so far; but Kakashi's answer said he completely understood, and instead, he had been awfully nice about it. Actually, if he really thought about it, Kakashi seemed different - more friendly and easier to get along with than before, like he was allowing himself a moment to be a person rather than a captain; and Iruka found that he kind of liked this side of him.

He still didn't understand why he had developed feelings for him so quickly, and felt like they'd been partners for years, especially now that his only guess had been proven wrong and there was no other explanation; but his own hostility was slowly beginning to disappear now. He still wanted to escape Kakashi's ship and return to his crew, but if his planning took a little longer than usual while he investigated this new feeling, well, no one had to know.

"Maa, is there something on my face?"

"Huh?" Iruka asked in confusion.

"My face. Is there something on it?" Kakashi repeated. "You keep staring at me."

"Oh! Ah, sorry!" Iruka replied, turning away as his face became very hot. "I was just… distracted."

"I'm that good looking, am I?" Kakashi asked, his eyes glittering in amusement.

"That's… not it."

"You didn't deny it, though. You think I'm handsome."

"Shut up, Kakashi." Iruka mumbled, burying his head in his hands.

Kakashi chuckled to himself. He had never met someone who was so easy to tease before, and he was enjoying it more than he expected he would - he was enjoying spending time with Iruka more than he thought he ever would, especially now that he was more docile. Perhaps it was only because of the strange attraction to him; but either way, he was beginning to feel more at ease than he had in a while.

Maybe the raid had been a good thing, after all…


	4. Chapter 4

After a couple of days of being in his cell and proving that he was a compliant prisoner, Iruka had been let out to help clean the ship after the attack on it. He hadn't been the only one in his crew to use dirty tactics, and there was a lot of repairs that needed to be made, and a lot of cleaning to do; and with some of Kakashi's crew still out of commission, they needed all the help they could get.

Iruka had been assigned some heavy-lifting jobs in the morning, but as lunch time passed and the ship became more organised, he was put on cleaning duty, sweeping wood splinters and shavings, rust, dirt, and nails, and other debris away, and then scrubbing the deck in those areas after. He had been working hard; and even though Kakashi's crew was weary of his presence and didn't really want anything to do with him since he was a pirate, hurt their comrades, and stole from them, they did appreciate the extra help.

When he had first been let out, Iruka thought it would be the perfect opportunity to concoct an escape plan, as he'd be able to survey the ship's structure and figure out its layout while he worked; but he hadn't had a single moment to himself to take anything in - every time he stopped, or looked somewhere, there was always at least one person looking right back at him. But what they didn't know was that he had been scavenging while he was cleaning, and hidden throughout his clothes was some of the debris he'd cleaned up; in particular, some scraps of metal he'd found that were the perfect size and shape for picking locks. All he needed now was a weapon, and he'd be ready to escape when his crew came back for him. He had told them to continue on their path, but he knew very well that they wouldn't listen. Not while he was still missing.

"Hey, you, pirate!" Iruka froze, his heart pounding wildly - had he been wrong, did someone actually catch him?!

He turned to the voice, and saw a man wearing a bandana, chewing on a strand of straw - Genma, he remembered, walking over to him. He was carrying a pitcher of water; and Iruka studied it strangely - he had only just been given a drinking break, so he surely wasn't being offered another glass of water already…

When Genma reached him, he handed the pitcher over to Iruka.

"Here. Take this to the captain's office and water his plant. Do not hang around in there, do not look around, and most certainly do _not_ touch anything - you go in, water the plant, and get out straight away." He ordered. "Got it?"

"Yes, got it." Iruka nodded. "I will be back shortly."

"It'll be your funeral if you aren't - the captain doesn't like people invading his space." Genma commented as he walked off.

When Iruka reached Kakashi's office, the first thing he saw was that the door was shut. He knew better than to barge in unannounced; and he gently knocked on the door, patiently waiting for a response. He didn't hear anything, but he knew he needed to get the job done, so he carefully opened the door and let himself in, tentatively looking around as he closed the door behind him.

Kakashi's office was very much like his own. It was a cozy size, the windows were closed off with curtains for some privacy, and was arranged in a minimalistic style, with his least used belongings stored in locked chests or displayed on his bookshelves. It was dimly lit by warm lanterns that were attached to the polished wooden walls, and his desk, itself, had its own lantern gently flickering away. On the other side of the desk was a plant with leaves shooting out from the pot like fireworks, stemming out from the soil like each leaf was its own plant. From a distance, Iruka could see that the leaves were multi-coloured - a mix of a dark and pale green; and it looked happy and healthy where it was sitting.

As Iruka ventured further into the office and walked over to the plant, he saw that there was someone in a small swivel chair with a low back, resting their head on their arms, which were crossed over a journal on the desk; and when he saw the grey-silver hair, dulled in the dim lighting, he knew right away that it was Kakashi, and he seemed to be asleep. If he was right, then this would be the perfect opportunity to gather information while he was here, and see if he can figure out where he was being taken and how long it would take to get there when they took off again.

Iruka slowed his footsteps, taking care to walk softly as he took a better look at his surroundings. The walls were bare, besides the lanterns that were screwed into them, and there was nothing that really stood out in the bookcases - no weapons, no valuables, no maps. Even most of the books weren't of any use to him - they were all… porn, by the looks of it. Iruka pursed his lips. _Really,_ Kakashi? He hadn't been wrong when he'd called him a pervert, then.

He shook his head and moved on, finally approaching Kakashi's desk; and his eyes went straight to the paperwork that put to one side, and the journal half poking out from Kakashi's arms - it seemed that he had been writing something before he had fallen asleep. His handwriting looked a bit like chicken scrawl, making Iruka momentarily wonder if that had anything to do with the fact that Kakashi could only use one eye; but it was still readable, so he took a peek at it.

_Repairs will be done within the next couple of days, and we will be on our way back home - if there are no more disruptions, we shouldn't be at sea any longer than a couple more weeks. It has been almost a year since I've returned to Konoha, and I am looking forward to taking a break. But I do have one problem… I don't know what to do with Iruka. He's a pirate, and I'm supposed to hand him over to authorities to be arrested when we dock, but if I read the name of his ship right, he is Iruka Umino, the captain of the Night Stalker, wanted in every single nation; and that means he will be sentenced to death._

_I don't want that. There's something about him… He's different to other pirates, more approachable and genuine. And I'm not saying that because of these strange feelings that have developed - I just sense that he has good intentions…_

_So what can I do?_

"Tenzou, 's'sat you?" Kakashi mumbled sleepily, squinting at him from his desk.

The gentle knock on the door, and the quiet movement had sounded familiar, but strange at the same time - he only knew of one person who moved this quietly, and that was Tenzou; but Tenzou always said something when he came in, so it was strange that he hadn't spoken. 

"Ah, no, I'm Iruka, the pirate." Iruka said softly, his heart pounding fast - he had been so _sure_ Kakashi was asleep. "I was just sent in to water your plant."

"Why isn't Tenzou doing it?" Kakashi asked, frowning slightly. "He usually insists..."

"I don't know, maybe he's one of the people who are supposed to be resting today?" Iruka guessed hesitantly. "One of the others, Genma, I think it was, sent me in, instead. But don't worry, I'll be out of here soon."

"Hn…" Kakashi mumbled.

When Kakashi didn't say anything else, Iruka finally went to the plant - an arrowhead, the tag said; and carefully poured the pitcher of water into the pot, making sure to cover every inch of soil, and sprinkle a bit over the leaves. It was quite therapeutic, really, and relaxing after all the work he'd done so far; and Iruka kind of wished he had more plants to water.

"His name is Mr. Ukki." Kakashi suddenly murmured. "He likes being sung to."

"Oh, okay." Iruka said in surprise.

"Will you sing for him?"

"Ah… S-Sure…" Iruka replied hesitantly.

It was a strange request, but he supposed he didn't really mind - he used to sing to Naruto all the time when he was younger, when he had trouble sleeping. This would just be the same kind of thing, right? And even though it was supposed to be directed to a plant, maybe Kakashi would fall asleep again, and he would be able to poke around a bit more, and gather more intel.

He glanced at Kakashi, who still had his eyes shut, then back at the plant again, unsure he was supposed to be singing; but the only thing that was coming to him was a lullaby his mother used to hum to him, one of Naruto's favourites, so he decided to sing that.

_When the sky is orange, and yellow, and pink;_

_When the colours change, and the sun starts to sink,_

_You had better hurry inside,_

_If you truly value your life._

When Iruka started singing, Kakashi opened his eyes to look at him - he couldn't believe that it was _Iruka_ making such beautiful sounds; and he was mesmerised by the melody. He recognised the song from the Land of Waves, his home away from home; and the way Iruka sang it struck a chord in his heart.

_But if you find yourself out in the dark,_

_Be not afraid, and look up at the stars;_

_They can take you anywhere._

_All you have to do is follow your heart._

As Iruka sung the last note, Kakashi thought about the lullaby's interpretations. Some people took it literally and said it was a warning to come home at sunset because it was dangerous outside, and others said it was about taking risks, that yes, inside is safe, but you won't find anything new if you don't take a chance; and with the depth of emotion he had heard, Kakashi wondered if Iruka interpreted it as the latter. It certainly seemed that way, considering his lifestyle...

"Um, w-was that okay?" Iruka asked nervously, catching Kakashi's intense gaze in the silence.

"Of course." Kakashi replied warmly.

"I'm glad." Iruka sighed in relief. "Do you need me to do anything else, or should I go back to what I was doing before I was sent in?"

Kakashi almost asked him to sing another song. _Almost_. He felt like he could listen to Iruka all day - he had the voice of an angel, and had captured his heart with every note he sang; but he had to stop himself from becoming even more attached to Iruka. Despite his best efforts to ignore his feelings towards Iruka, it seemed almost impossible at this point - every day that he was on the ship, and every day he learnt more about Iruka, his attraction to him only seemed to grow; but with only a limited amount of time together, and knowing he wouldn't ever see him again once they arrived at the port, he had to try and distance himself from him.

"That will be all." Kakashi finally answered. "Go back to your duties, please."

"Okay. Sorry for disturbing you." Iruka said, grabbing the empty pitcher and leaving Kakashi's office again.

As Kakashi watched Iruka disappear, his heart grew heavy; and he released a deep sigh.

If only they'd met under better circumstances…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I spent over two hours looking up different types of plants and their preferred living conditions (and what they can tolerate) just so I could find the perfect Mr. Ukki XD


	5. Chapter 5

Since the day Iruka had first sung, Kakashi hadn't been able to keep himself distanced from Iruka, and wanted him back there every day for the past four days to water his plant and sing a song for him, because he couldn't get enough of his voice; and as his feelings towards him developed even more, he had also started taking more guard shifts each day, particularly at night, when there would be less interruptions, so he could chat with him a bit - he'd been so curious about him since the day they'd met.

Kakashi's crew had picked up on this change of attitude and his interest in Iruka; and that also resulted in them being interested in him, because they were confused - how could someone like Kakashi, an honourable, lawful captain fall for a prisoner; especially a pirate who had orchestrated an attack and raid on them about a week and a half ago? What was so special about him?

Iruka didn't really know how to handle being the centre of all this attention, but he didn't mind that it made some of the more gossipy guards, like Genma, and a woman named Kurenai start talking to him on their shifts when he was stuck in his cell - he had nothing to do, otherwise.

"You're the captain of your ship, aren't you?" Kurenai confirmed.

"Yeah. I've officially been a captain since sixteen."

"Sixteen?!" Kurenai asked in surprise. "That's young for a captain… How'd you get your ship?"

"Ah, you see, it's not actually mine." Iruka answered, laughing hesitantly. "One of my crew members owns it, but she didn't know how to sail it; and I was looking for a ship to find a new home for me and a child I've been looking after, so I made a deal with her and said I would take her wherever she wanted to go for free, as long as I got to be in charge, since I was the one who knew how to sail it. She didn't care much for responsibility - still doesn't, actually; so she agreed pretty quickly."

"She actually took your word for it?" Kurenai asked. "I mean, you're a pirate - surely she thought you might double-cross her at some point."

"No, Anko was the one who tried to double-cross me!" Iruka chuckled. "She didn't trust me, but once I proved I was worthy enough to captain her ship, she let me and Naruto join her; and we've been together ever since."

"Together? As in… Is she your girlfriend?"

"N-No, not at all!" Iruka replied quickly, shaking his head. "Anko and I are close, but we're more comfortable as friends."

"So are you seeing someone else, then?"

"Huh? Why does it matter?" Iruka asked, slightly annoyed.

"It doesn't to me - I'm just curious."

"Come on, no one's 'just curious'. You were going to tell someone, weren't you?"

"Would it really matter if I did? It's not like dating someone is a big deal." Kurenai replied. "… Unless there's someone in particular you're trying to hide it from?" She hinted.

"If you mean Kakashi, I'm not hiding anything from him. If he wants to know if I'm seeing someone, he can find out by asking me, himself." Iruka replied firmly.

"So you're not seeing anyone."

"I didn't say that."

"But you eluded to it."

Iruka sighed.

"I'm not talking to you anymore." He said.

"Well, just so you know, if you hurt him, you're going to regret it."

"Got it."

He didn't need to be told that - if Kakashi's crew was as loyal as his own, which they seemed to be, they would destroy him in a second if they had the slightest thought he was hurting Kakashi. Truth be told, the closer he got to him, the more anxious he was about his escape. It was strange, but he really did like him, and after reading that entry in his journal the other day, he had learnt just how much Kakashi cared about him, too; and he didn't want to hurt him or leave him behind.

But he had a crew that was probably worried sick about him, and he had _Naruto_ to look after - he couldn't just leave his friends, no his family behind just because he liked a guy he'd met not even two weeks earlier; they came first. But what if he could convince Kakashi to come along and join his family, too?

"As if that's ever going to happen…" Iruka muttered to himself, shaking his head.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Kurenai asked.

"Just talking to myself." Iruka replied, sighing as he laid back on his bed.

What was he going to do? How could he get back to his crew without hurting Kakashi?


	6. Chapter 6

"Afternoon, Captain. I've brought Iruka for you."

"Thank you, Asuma." Kakashi replied. "There's no need to hang around. I will return him to his cell, myself, when he's done."

"Okay. I'll leave you to it, then." He nodded.

Once Asuma left, closing the door behind him, Iruka made his way over to Kakashi's desk, carrying the jug of water, and saw that Kakashi was going through a pile of forms that had been left for him to sign. Iruka greeted him, and carried on with his task, leaving Kakashi to do whatever he needed to do; but while he was watering Mr. Ukki and humming to himself, he couldn't help but notice the troubled expression on Kakashi's face.

"Is something wrong?" He asked softly.

Iruka gently placed the water jug down and walked around the desk to Kakashi's side, subconsciously putting a hand on his shoulder.

"No, it's just… hard to read." Kakashi sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"I could take a look at that for you, if you'd like." Iruka said, gently rubbing his fingers into Kakashi's shoulder. "It must be a lot harder to read with only one eye."

"It's okay, it's not that important."

Iruka quickly skimmed the form.

"That's a permit renewal. Looks pretty important to me."

"You've seen one of these before?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"Of course I have - I can't park my ship anywhere without it. Though mine covers all nations, and yours just seems to be a dual permit for the Land of Waves and Land of Fire." Iruka said, shifting directly behind Kakashi, his head by his shoulder, so he could check the form properly. "But why do you have a permit for both?"

"So I can use the ports in both nations?" Kakashi answered with a frown, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But you only need one for the Land of Fire." Iruka said, resting his arms across Kakashi's chest. "In the new rules, which were issued last year, Land of Waves is now included in the Land of Fire permit because of all the complications and complaints from sailors who come by, thinking all the ports around the coastline are owned by the Land of Fire, only to find that they have to pay a fine for using a Land of Waves port without a permit. Land of Waves signed a contract with Land of Fire to be included in their permit to resolve the issue, because of all the filed complaints and now they get a percentage of the Land of Fire's profits. So when you go to renew your permit, make sure it's only for Land of Fire, or you'll just be wasting money."

"How on earth do you know all this?" Kakashi asked, turning his head to try and make eye contact with Iruka.

"Even pirates have to follow some laws if we want to save our asses." Iruka replied conversationally, pulling his head back slightly to see Kakashi's face better, his hands sliding back up to his shoulders. "Besides, we're always looking for loopholes; and we need to know the law for that."

"Hmn…"

Kakashi turned back to his desk and put the form down, taking a moment to think to himself. He'd never heard about this change in the permits before, and decided he'd look into it to make sure. For all he knew, Iruka could have his information wrong; but it also wouldn't have surprised him if that contract was signed quietly - the Land of Waves would be able to make more money if they didn't explicitly tell people that they had changed the rules, and just let them find out for themselves by word of mouth. It was dishonest, but it wasn't _illegal_ ; and seemed like something a small nation would do…

"Wow, your shoulders are very stiff." Iruka suddenly commented as he dug his thumbs into them.

"Iruka, you really don't need to…" Kakashi trailed off, and let out a light groan as Iruka expertly worked at a knot in his muscles. It felt so good, like Iruka was reaching an itch that couldn't be scratched, like his body had been craving this for so long; and every time Iruka dug his fingers in, it felt like sparks were being lit up inside of him.

"Do you want me to stop?" Iruka asked softly, slowing down. Kakashi almost whined.

"No. Keep going."

Iruka continued to knead into him, digging the pads of his fingers deep into Kakashi's muscles and swirling them around the area; and as he worked through his shoulders, Kakashi began to visibly relax into his chair. Iruka knew how stressful being a captain could be - he supposed that some of Kakashi's tension was his own fault from when he and his crew had raided his ship; but his own muscles were never this tense, which told him that Kakashi didn't really do much to relax - he was the kind of man who put others before himself; and doing that too much had really taken its toll on him, even if he didn't realise it, himself.

As Iruka worked away, his hands slowly got closer and closer to Kakashi's neck; and when he finally reached it, he slid his hands forward, and then slowly down Kakashi's chest. Kakashi leaned his head back and closed his eyes, giving Iruka permission to, and making it easier for him to feel him up as he massaged him. He really liked what Iruka was doing to him; and everything was only getting better and better, the longer he touched him. Especially when his hands slipped under his shirt.

Iruka's heart started to flutter. Giving Kakashi a massage had been a spontaneous decision, and he hadn't expected him to agree to it at all, but now he was letting him just touch him, too; and he was loving the feel of Kakashi's skin against his, and the way he could feel how big Kakashi's muscles were. When Kakashi fell on top of him and had accidentally touched him, he had only felt the sparks; but now that he had a chance to _really_ touch him, his body was really soaking it up, like it had been craving this physical touch for so long; and now it was like an explosion that was erupting inside of him, and it was _doing_ things to him. He wanted to do so much more than just run his hands over his skin, and he got the impression that Kakashi felt the same way, that he needed this, too; but he had to know, first.

Iruka slid his hands even further along Kakashi's chest, massaging at his firm pecks; and as he leaned over Kakashi's shoulder to reach them, he turned his head to the side and planted an experimental kiss on Kakashi's neck. Kakashi didn't make any move to push him away, so he kissed him again, this time more wetly, and making a point to lightly suck at his skin; and as Iruka kept kissing a trail down his neck, Kakashi tilted his head to the side, giving him more room to work with, as Iruka's lips sent pleasant tingles down his spine.

"I hope you're prepared for what's going to happen if you keep that up." He hummed.

Iruka pressed his lips to Kakashi's ear, whispered into it.

"I'm _more_ than ready." He purred, gently nibbling on Kakashi's lobe.

"Good."

Kakashi suddenly opened his eyes and swivelled his chair towards Iruka, catching him off-guard; and held his head with both hands, and gently guided it to his face to pull him into a deep kiss. Iruka's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly melted into the kiss; and as he grew weak, Kakashi used his knees to spread Iruka's legs apart, then let go of his face to guide him onto his lap.

Iruka wasted no time in hooking one arm over Kakashi's shoulder, and gripping his hair with the other as they continued to make out; and Kakashi's hands went to his hips, and slid beneath his shirt, feeling his hardened abs and back muscles as they explored his body. He loved the way Iruka felt against him, how he became more desperate with his kisses the more he was touched - there was a beast inside of him that was finally free, and it was showing no signs of slowing down; and everything he did only made Kakashi want more.

Kakashi's hands snaked back down to Iruka's hips, and slid behind to his ass; and he started to massage it over his pants, digging the pads of his fingers into his cheeks and gently squeezing. It felt firm, but cushioned; and as his hands explored the area, Iruka let out a small, breathless moan, and pressed himself further into Kakashi. The massage was sending ecstatic shocks through his system, especially when Kakashi's hands ventured close to his hole, and his body was growing hot; but at the same time, the teasing was unbearable, and he needed to feel more.

Iruka slowly rocked his hips in a rhythm as Kakashi massaged him; and when he began to feel more pleasure from his own movements, he gripped Kakashi even tighter, and began to grind against him. Kakashi groaned as Iruka pressed into him, massaging his erection; and he slid down his chair a little, in hopes that Iruka would bump into him just a little bit more, just a little bit longer, just… right… there…

"Hah…" He breathed, as Iruka rode right along him. It was pure bliss, having Iruka reaching everywhere that had been aching to be touched; and he knew if he didn't do something soon, he was going to cum before they even got to do anything.

"Stop." He murmured abruptly. "Let me fuck you."

When Iruka stopped, he took a moment to take a look at Kakashi's face, and study his expression; and it was far from the piercing gaze he'd seen when they'd first met. His eyes were heavy with lust, and slightly dazed, like he was too far gone to have any rationality left in his system; and his face was flushed, burning with need. Iruka's heart skipped a beat, knowing he was the one who made him this way; and he was excited to continue.

He shot Kakashi a flirty smile, and slid his hands down to his hips, searching for the waistline of his pants.

"How do you want me, _Captain_?" He purred as he unbuckled Kakashi's belt.

"O-Over the desk." Kakashi managed to choke out.

In no time at all, he and Iruka were standing up, him with his pants and boxers down to his thighs, and Iruka's right down to his ankles; and he turned Iruka around, and pushed him down onto the desk. As Iruka got himself comfortable, leaning on his elbows, and shifting so that Kakashi had easier access to his ass, Kakashi reached into one of his drawers and pulled out a small tube of lube. He flicked the cap open and squirted some of the gel on the tip of a couple of fingers as he went back over to Iruka; and he gently inserted his slick fingers in his hole as he began to prepare him.

Iruka let out a breathy moan as Kakashi slid his fingers deeper and deeper; and he studied the contents on the desk as he tried to find a vantage point while Kakashi fingered him, to find something to distract himself with so he didn't lose himself too quickly; and when his eyes settled on a metal stationery tin, he saw more than just a distraction - he saw an opportunity. A risky opportunity, but it would be worth it if it meant he would be more prepared for when his crew returned.

Suddenly, Kakashi slipped another finger inside him, and he gasped in surprise as the intensity of his pleasure built up. The extra finger had Kakashi hitting all the right places; and even with his mind ticking over his new plan, it was getting hard to hold back and stop himself from losing his mind.

"Please… Your cock." He gasped, balling his hands into fists as he tried to grasp his last ounce of control.

Kakashi didn't need to be told twice. He eagerly took his fingers out of Iruka, wiping his palm along his stiff cock to wet it and get the last of the lube off his hand; and when he had lined himself up properly behind Iruka, he grabbed his shaft and guided the tip into Iruka's hole. It slid in easily, like Iruka was trying to suck him in; and Kakashi grabbed Iruka's hips as he carefully thrust, the rest of him entering just as easily as his tip.

"A-Ah!" Iruka gasped as Kakashi filled him.

The pleasure was at least ten times more intense than before; and as Kakashi started to thrust and slowly build up a rhythm, Iruka could feel it building up more quickly, too. He wasn't going to last very long at this rate, so he flicked his eyes over to the stationery tin again. It was within reach, and the fancy steel letter opener he'd been eyeing off was even closer; but he still couldn't take it yet - Kakashi would easily catch him. And who knew when, or even _if_ he'd have another chance like this if he blew it? Surely Kakashi wouldn't let him out of his cell again if he got caught taking something _that_ expensive, even if he intended to return it later… It looked like it was engraved, too - was it a gift, perhaps?

Iruka bit his lip as Kakashi gripped hold of his hips even tighter and started to thrust faster and harder. He was reaching all the spots that were screaming to be touched, and somehow pushing even further inside of him; and after a few particularly heavy slams that made Iruka feel like Kakashi was reaching right up to his stomach, the ecstasy that was rippling through his very core started to explode like a firework that had been lit, and there was only a moment before it burst; and that only meant one thing.

"Kakashi, I'm… going to cum!" He gasped breathlessly, his fingers gripping hold of the desk as he prepared for the eruption.

Kakashi kept up his rhythm, trying to thrust even deeper into Iruka, encouraged by his moaning and desperate cries; and in just seconds, he felt Iruka tremble beneath him, the muscles around his hole going crazy, like he was trying to keep his cock inside of him as he rode out his orgasm. Kakashi continued to thrust, getting close to the edge, himself; and when Iruka started to relax into him a little more, his body no longer quivering, Kakashi slowed his movements and leaned into Iruka, kissing his neck as his pleasure eased.

When he suspected Iruka was done, he gently pulled out of him, and turned his focus to himself, wrapping a hand around his cock as he worked to finish himself off. Iruka had spotted what he was doing from the corner of his eye as he'd started to turn around and face him; and on the way, he used his body to hide his arm as he quickly reached to take the letter opener he'd been after.

Relief filled him when he discovered that Kakashi hadn't noticed; and he sunk to his knees weakly, subtly slipping the letter opener in his boot at the heel as he looked up expectantly at Kakashi, a very satisfied expression on his face. He watched as Kakashi pleasured himself, grunting and groaning more as he brought himself closer to the brink of pleasure; and when he was finally over the edge, he turned towards Iruka, aiming his cock towards his open mouth; and in seconds, his load shot out, landing on Iruka's tongue, spreading itself across it. A couple more dribbles came out after the first shot; and when Iruka could tell that he was done, he swallowed Kakashi's cum, and took the hand that was offered to him to help him get back up.

When he was standing again, and they had both put their pants back on, Kakashi kissed him and gave him a once-over.

"So," He murmured. "Am I going to regret doing more than just watching you?"

"Hmm… I don't think so… But only this once." Iruka winked, returning the kiss.

"Just once? What if I want to do it again?"

"I might be able to make an exception." Iruka teased.

"Good." Kakashi hummed. "Because once just isn't enough."

Iruka thought so, too; but the letter opener digging into his heel was telling him he might not be lucky enough to have another chance…


	7. Chapter 7

The door leading down to the room Iruka's cell was in slammed open; and Iruka looked up curiously as Kakashi stormed down with a cold, furious expression on his face, behind him, a very fit, muscular man with thick, bushy eye brows he hadn't been able to talk with yet following him, equally as angry. Genma, who had been relaxing on his shift shot up from where he'd been sitting, his expression filled with fear; and when Kakashi walked past him without so much as a glance, and beelined straight for his cell, Iruka knew he had fucked up. Big time.

"Hands against the wall. Now." Kakashi ordered when he was just a few paces away from the cell.

Iruka's heart began to race, and his stomach dropped. There was so much tension in the air, alongside the fury radiating from both Kakashi, and the other man; and with all of it clearly directed at him, for the first time since he was a kid, he was _scared_. He'd faced angry people before - it was a given as a pirate; but it had never affected him before. Now though, for some reason, it was different. But was he afraid of what was going to happen to him, or was he afraid that he might have just lost the man that meant everything to him?

"Make it thorough, Gai." Kakashi said, crossing his arms when Iruka was finally ready. "Check every pocket you can find, and any hem that seems out of place. And when you're done, I want you to search the entire cell, and look for loose planks of wood, holes in the pillow and mattress, and any other potential hiding places."

"W-What's going on?" Iruka asked timidly as strong, giant hands carefully pat him down.

It was a stupid question, he knew; but with his nerves were running haywire, he was growing flustered, and wasn't exactly thinking straight.

"Don't you _dare_." Kakashi responded dangerously, the venom in his words spreading to Iruka's veins and sending chills down his spine.

Iruka gulped, and stared down at the ground guiltily as Gai continued to search him. He was down to his hips now, and Iruka found himself wincing when his hands went over the bruises Kakashi had left on him just the day before; not because they hurt, but because they were reminders of Kakashi's feelings towards him, of his love, and trust, and how all of that was coming apart.

Finally, when Gai finished searching him, he started pulling the bed apart and rummaging all through the cell; and Iruka slowly turned around, braving a peek at the activity; but when his eyes met Kakashi's, all he could do was stare back him like a deer trapped in headlights. Kakashi's gaze was steady and unblinking, daring him to say something, to make one wrong move; and Iruka soon became uncomfortable in the intense silence. Even Gai's search was becoming quiet now; and when he stopped all together, Iruka knew he was doomed.

"Kakashi." Gai said softly but urgently.

Kakashi glanced over at Gai, and saw that he was holding up his missing letter opener, alongside several pieces of broken metal that looked like they could be useful for something; and he stiffened. He hated being right. He'd wanted so badly for Gai to have not found anything, for Iruka to have been completely innocent; but when he hadn't been able to find his letter opener after Iruka had left, he'd had a gut feeling. Why did it have to be like this? Why did Iruka have to betray his trust?

Kakashi took a shaky breath as Gai handed his letter opener back, along with the unexpected pieces of metal that had been hidden in the cell, too; and thanked him as he took a moment to examine the collection - makeshift escape tools. Gai closed the cell door again, locking Iruka in there; and looked back at Kakashi, awaiting directions.

"Out, please." Kakashi said to him, his voice scarily calm. He glanced towards Genma. "You, too. I need to speak to him alone."

"I'll be by the door if you need me." Gai said, putting a hand on Kakashi's shoulder and squeezing it gently.

Kakashi didn't acknowledge him as he stared down Iruka, his gaze piercing right through him. Gai shot him a concerned look as he passed him - he clearly wanted to stay and be by his side; but Kakashi had made it clear that he didn't want anyone around, so he caught up to Genma and left. When they left, it was just him and Iruka left in a staring match; and it only took a moment before the silence was broken.

"How long have you had these for? How long have you been planning this?" Kakashi asked steadily, showing Iruka what he'd been given.

"I think you already know."

"I need to hear you say it." Kakashi said. "How long?"

"Since the beginning." Iruka answered. "You know I was always planning to get out of here, right?"

"Then yesterday, when we… and all that other time we spent together…" Kakashi swallowed. "It didn't mean anything to you? That was just a set up? You were only getting close to take advantage of me?"

"No, Kakashi, I…" Iruka faltered. "I wasn't specifically taking advantage of _you_ \- I was taking advantage of the opportunity. When we had sex, I initiated it because I wanted you, because I like you; but at the same time, I had to get that letter opener while I had the chance."

"That doesn't make it any better." Kakashi hissed. "Are you _sure_ that you even like me? Because you don't take advantage of someone you care about - you don't break their trust like that. It fucking hurts."

"I know… I'm sorry." Iruka apologised guiltily, glancing away. "Hurting you is the last thing I wanted to do."

"Then w-why…? Why would you betray me like that?"

Iruka swallowed back a lump at the back of his throat as the pain in Kakashi's voice flowed through him. He wanted to get out of his cell and wrap his arms around him, and hold him to his chest and tell him how sorry he was, that he was going to make everything right again. But after Gai had locked him back in, he wasn't able to do anything but stand there by the bars and explain himself.

"I did it because I had to." He replied heavily. "My crew is coming back for me, and I need to be prepared for that, so I was collecting whatever I could to help me."

"Is being with me really so bad that you want to run away?" Kakashi asked, his voice broken and anguished.

His anger was fizzling away as he became more hurt. He'd known that Iruka had been planning to escape, but after spending so much time together, and becoming a lot closer, he didn't think he'd be so proactive about it, especially when they were having sex, when the focus was supposed to just be on each other; so seeing just how he was eager to run off and abandon him cut as deeply as finding out he'd been betrayed and taken advantage of. He didn't even care anymore, that what had been taken was a gift from his late friend, Obito, when he'd first been promoted to Captain.

Iruka's stomach dropped. He was only just realising now how much Kakashi cared about him, that he didn't even consider him a prisoner anymore, that he'd already overlooked the raid and the fact that he was a pirate, and had just wanted to be with him; and he was feeling even more guilty about leaving him behind… But he didn't have a choice.

"It's not that… I have to get back to my family." Iruka replied. "I'm sorry."

"Well, tell me one thing… Were you even going to say goodbye?"

Iruka looked away, his heart sinking; and his silence told Kakashi everything he needed to know.

"I see how it is… Here." He said sullenly, throwing the letter opener and pieces of metal back into the cell. "Fucking take it, and get out of my sight. I don't care what you do, as long as you don't touch my crew. I'm done wasting my time with you."

As Iruka watched Kakashi storm out, nausea swirled in his gut as a wave of remorse washed over him. He didn't regret preparing himself for escape, but he did regret hurting Kakashi in the process, and ending things this way - he hated seeing Kakashi in so much pain. 

Finally, the door slammed shut, leaving Iruka on his own; and when no one came in to continue guarding him, he released a pained sigh and sat on his bed, his heart both heavy and empty at the same time.

Why did he have to get feelings for the one person he couldn't have?

It wasn't fair.


	8. Chapter 8

A day had passed since Kakashi had walked out; and no one had come back for Iruka, not for food, nor to be guarded; and that made him curious - did it mean he was allowed out of his cell? Kakashi _had_ said he didn't care what he did, and had given the tools he'd collected back to him; but he hadn't thought he'd meant he had permission to wander the ship. Still, if no one was coming for him, he had to know; and there was only one way to do that.

Iruka picked up two of the pieces of metal that were on the floor, as well as the letter opener, which had stuck into a plank of wood like a throwing knife; and headed over to his cell's door. He slipped the letter opener in his pocket, and held the pieces of metal he'd collected in between his teeth as he reached for the padlock on his cell. He flipped the key hole towards himself, and felt for the long, thin piece of metal in his mouth, and gently took it, slipping it inside the hole. He held it firmly with his thumb, using the hand holding the padlock; and with his free hand, grabbed the piece of metal that had a tiny hook at one end, and slipped that through the hole, feeling for teeth inside the contraption, and carefully pushing them back into place. When he did the final one, the lock made a small _click_ , and snapped open, allowing Iruka to unhook it and slide the door's bolt lock away.

The moment he stepped out, anxiety swirled in his gut, like it was telling him that he wasn't supposed to be here, that he wasn't supposed to be free; and he slowly made his way upstairs. When he reached the door, he grabbed the letter opener from his pocket, and slipped it up his sleeve for easy access, just in case someone attacked him - it wasn't the best thing to defend himself with, since it wasn't as sharp as a knife, but it was better than having no protection; and, with his free hand, he opened the door and stepped out into the open deck.

The glare from the sun pierced his vision, and for a moment, he couldn't see anything; but as his eyes adjusted, he was soon able to tell that it was around mid-afternoon, and that there wasn't really anyone around. Iruka guessed that it meant there wasn't much that they needed to do, and that most of Kakashi's crew would be lounging around inside, away from the heat, or in their cabins, trying to catch up on their sleep.

Iruka took a step out in the open, and peered out at the gentle sea, taking a deep breath. He loved days like this, where the sun soaked into him like a warm blanket, and the contrasting crisp winds flapped against him, helping to keep him from getting too hot. He loved the way the ship carefully rocked back and forth, as though trying to send him to sleep, and how the fresh, salty air seemed to clear his mind, body, and spirit, like it was enchanted with a revival spell; and he especially loved the peaceful silence, where there were no signs of life - just the whisper of water lapping against the side of the boat, and the wind occasionally singing by the sails. It was a perfect day at sea for him, except for the fact that this wasn't his ship, Kakashi wanted nothing to do with him, and he was hungry. Very hungry.

Iruka wandered along the deck awkwardly, trying to figure out where the kitchen was; and as he passed some of the people watching him from inside, he felt their stares piercing into him like he was the main attraction at a zoo. It made him very uncomfortable, especially when he made eye contact and caught Kurenai's sharp glare; but since no one was doing anything to grab him and lock him back in his cell, Iruka continued on, taking it as permission for him to be here.

As Iruka made his way along the deck, he peeked inside one of the windows of a closed in section in the middle of the ship, hoping to get an indicator of its layout, to see if it was similar to the Night Stalker, but it was too dark to see anything; and he was just as lost as before. He stopped moving, and looked around, taking a moment to assess his surroundings, and think about where it definitely was _not_ ; and caught the hard, scrutinizing gaze of a man leaning against a mast, smoking a cigarette. He hadn't seen much of him around the ship, but he remembered his name was Asuma, and that he was the man who had pulled him away from Kakashi and had taken him to his cell after the raid. Taking a deep breath, he hesitantly walked over to him.

"I was wondering if I'd see you." Asuma said as he approached. "You've got balls, coming up here after everything."

Iruka stopped in his tracks and glanced away, now unsure if it was okay to speak to him.

"Well, spit it out." Asuma sighed when he didn't say anything. "What have you come to me for?"

"Um, I was wondering if you could tell me where the kitchen is, please." Iruka requested, slightly embarrassed. "No one has come for me, and after my argument with Kakashi, I got the impression I'm supposed to fend for myself now."

Asuma laughed heartily as he flicked the ash off the end of his cigarette.

"What kind of prisoner thinks it's okay to let themselves out of their cell to do stuff?!" He asked in amusement, taking another puff of his smoke. "You're a funny one, kid."

"You're not… angry with me?" Iruka asked in confusion, surprised to hear laughter.

"Eh, you're not the worst pirate we've come across."

"But I hurt your captain; and everyone else seems to hate me."

"Whatever happened between you and Kakashi is your business. Yeah, Kakashi's upset, and people are going to be mad because you hurt him; but he really shouldn't be getting involved with prisoners in the first place - he knew what to expect." Asuma shrugged. "And as far as raids go, you didn't even take much - just a couple of things from our medicine cabinet, I believe, and some food. Not really worth all the trouble, if you ask me."

"It _was_ worth it." Iruka huffed. "One of my crewmates is sick, and she desperately needed the medicine."

"You know, you probably could have just asked Kakashi instead of raiding our ship, and he would have given it to you, or negotiated a trade."

"Yeah, right. We're wanted pirates. Who would want to help _us_?"

"You'd be surprised." Asuma said. He inhaled, drawing in the last of his cigarette, and sighed, moments later, releasing the smoke that was swirling around inside him.

"Anyway, nothing you can do about it now. Don't know why Kakashi's letting you run around, but the kitchen's two doors along." He said. "Go for the leftovers - we don't like to waste food around here."

"Okay, thank you. I really appreciate that."

Asuma nodded in response, and Iruka quickly went on his way, eager to get some food. Part of him was hoping there was leftovers, because he was so hungry he could eat everything, especially if it was Kakashi's cooking; but at the same time, something about that just didn't seem right to him - he felt like he didn't deserve anything special to eat.

When Iruka reached the kitchen, he felt extremely uncomfortable, like he wasn't supposed to be here; but at the same time, he was very curious - Kakashi's ship had a _fridge_ , something that was very hard to come by. He opened it up interestedly, and a lamp turned on inside, showcasing all the food that was stored inside. It was about half full, some of the shelves filled with fresh vegetables, condiments, and other ingredients; and others with various-sized tubs filled with all kinds of cooked foods - a lot of it food that he recognised from meals he'd been served before.

Iruka's stomach grumbled - everything looked absolutely delicious; but he never reached for anything. Even if Asuma had said to take the leftovers, he wasn't exactly the best cook, and didn't want to make a mess in the kitchen trying to reheat something, especially when he felt so uncomfortable in there to begin with; so instead, he closed the fridge, and grabbed a can of beans from the cupboard, and a large apple from a crate nearby. It might not have been the best meal, but he didn't want to take advantage of his freedom - he had a rule to only take what he needed; and he didn't need all that good food, he just needed enough to survive.

Once Iruka got his can open and found a fork, he went back outside, and searched for somewhere to sit. Looking at where the sun was, he decided the best place would be by the entrance of the jail; and as he made his way over, he stared out at sea, focusing along the horizon. He wasn't looking for anything in particular, but he was still taking in all the details; and in the distance, he saw a dolphin leap from the water, propelling itself high, creating a perfect arch in the air; and within seconds it landed back in the water again. Iruka stopped walking, and watched for a moment longer, waiting to see if it would jump back up again. 

It didn't take long for Iruka to confirm that it wouldn't; but that didn't matter anymore. Because as he stared out at sea, he spotted a small dot on the horizon, that could only be a ship. And if it was a ship, that could only mean one thing. Iruka's chest burst excitedly, and a grin crept on his face.

His crew was finally coming for him.


	9. Chapter 9

Iruka woke up to the sound of yelling, and swords clashing; and he bolted upright, and prepared to jump out of bed - was he under attack?! The lanterns were out, so it was hard for him to see anything with the small amount of moonlight filtering through; but as his eyes adjusted, he made out the silhouette of prison bars, and relaxed a little as he recalled that this wasn't his ship.

"Who's the one who took Ruka away?! Come on out, you bastard!"

Iruka's eyes widened in horror, and he quickly jumped out of bed. Naruto was going to get himself hurt if he didn't do anything!

"What the hell are they doing, letting him do this, anyway?" Iruka hissed to himself. "He's just a kid!"

He fumbled in the dark as he found his way out of his cell and up the stairs to the top deck; and when he appeared, he saw that everyone in his crew was deep in battle, and only Kakashi wasn't around. His eyes darted around frantically, trying to find Naruto and see who he was fighting; and when he found his shorter body amongst the adults, he almost groaned and buried his head in his hands _. Why_ was Naruto still wearing that captain's jacket, which was several sizes too big for him and hard for him to fight in; and _why_ was he going after Asuma, who was almost as bulky as Gai?

Iruka heard a grunt to the side of him, and saw that Anko was in a fight with Genma, and a little way from them was Kotetsu against Kurenai, and Izumo battling Tenzou, a man he'd never spoken to, who had always been silent when guarding him. There was still so sign of Kakashi, so Iruka guessed he wouldn't be coming out unless it was necessary, more than likely trying to avoid him; and Iruka's stomach churned - he'd really hurt him more than he thought he had…

There was a loud crash back to where Naruto had been fighting; and Iruka whipped his head over urgently, his body urging him to rush over and help fight when he saw that Naruto had over-swung and his sword had hit a cannon. If only he had a real weapon instead of a letter opener… At least it looked like Asuma wasn't taking the battle too seriously.

Suddenly, a large silhouette blocked his view of Naruto; and he watched as Mizuki, the newest member of his crew faced Gai. He seemed to be having a rough time; but just when it looked like Gai was going to overpower him, he reached into his pocket and threw a handful of sand, gunpowder, or some other dusty substance at him - he couldn't tell in the dark; and Gai reflexively reached up to his face with his free arm, trying to clear his eyes as he blindly swung his sword to defend himself.

Then, Iruka couldn't believe his eyes. A couple of seconds later, it was almost like he'd never been blinded in the first place - Gai was fighting with his eyes closed _perfectly_. Mizuki grit his teeth in frustration, and put more effort into his swings as he attacked Gai, and Gai slowly inched back as they fought. Iruka watched has Mizuki glanced away from the battle, searching his surroundings instead, and Iruka thought he was looking for some other trick to try; but instead, his eyes went straight to Naruto, who had his back turned to him, and his eyes became filled with a wild bloodlust as a manic grin crept on his face.

Iruka quickly figured out what was about to happen, and he sprinted straight for Naruto, calling out to him as Mizuki took another swing at Gai, purposely over-swinging to reach his new target; and he leapt from the ground, his arms extended, and tackled Naruto to the ground, _just_ managing to knock him out of the way of the swing.

"Argh!" He cried out, as he felt the blade slice into his back.

"R-Ruka!" Naruto stammered, his eyes wide in shock. "What happened?!"

"It doesn't matter. You're safe now." Iruka smiled weakly.

His back was burning, but numb at the same time; and he could feel the blood soaking into his shirt and dribbling down him as each throb of his heartbeat pushed it through - that was a good thing, right, that he could feel it? It meant he wasn't paralysed, right; that he would still live? But he was weak, and his limbs were trembling now - did that mean it was worse than what he originally thought? And why couldn't he hear much anymore, why was the world slowly becoming muffled?

Naruto looked behind him, and he instantly paled when he saw the blood at the end of Mizuki's sword.

"What. Did you do. To Ruka?" He asked lowly.

"Ha hah!" Mizuki laughed in wicked amusement, his voice more deranged than Iruka had ever heard before. "This is even more than I was bargaining for!"

"What do you mean?" Naruto growled.

"Do you know how long I've been trying to get rid of him? He got what was coming for him!" Mizuki taunted. "Who even puts some dumb brat in charge of a ship when he's not around, when I easily qualified as captain? And all those other idiots actually _listened_ to that, and followed your orders?! It's ridiculous!"

"Ruka is a better captain than you'll ever be." Naruto said, wrapping his arms around him protectively.

"He doesn't even compare to me. And I think you mean _was_ …" Mizuki grinned maliciously, as he raised his sword again. "Because I'm about to end him."

Mizuki struck down, aiming to stab Iruka in the back again, grinning manically as he consumed Naruto's horrified expression, watching as it became more grief-struck as he quickly figured out there was nothing he could do to save him; and as he ended his strike, he put more strength into the movement, eager to take him out for good. But instead of hearing the sickening squish of his sword plunging into bloody flesh, he heard a familiar clang of metal; and when he looked down, he saw that he had collided with a sword, just inches away from Iruka's back.

He stared at it in shock - there was no way Naruto could have been able to block him; and his eyes followed along the blade to see who struck; and when he saw them, he only became more surprised.

"It won't do you any good to turn your back on an enemy, or to stab the back of a comrade." Gai's dangerous voice boomed.

Iruka turned around curiously, finding it hard to believe that one of Kakashi's men had protected him; and saw that he wasn't hallucinating, that Gai definitely had his back to him, and was holding back Mizuki's sword with ease. Mizuki had a feral glint in his eyes now - he was frustrated that his plans had been ruined yet again; and he was ready to kill.

Gai and Mizuki's fight became a blur to Iruka as a wave of dizziness struck, and he felt his heart jolt as a panic rippled through him - his body was shutting down, and he knew he wasn't going to be awake much longer; and with that extra motivation, he tried to pull himself off Naruto and stand up.

"Ruka, wait there. I'll help you back to the ship." Naruto said, his voice filled with worry.

"No." Iruka gasped, his breathing becoming more ragged. "There's something I have to do first."

"Then let me help you." Naruto said, crawling out from beneath Iruka, and helping him up.

"Naruto, you're twelve, and so much smaller than me - you can't carry me on your own."

"You've carried me so many times when I couldn't walk, and you're always helping me; it's time I do the same for you." Naruto replied, putting one of Iruka's arms over his shoulder, and wrapping his own around his waist. "Now, where are we going?"

"To see the captain."

Anko had been keeping an eye on everything the moment she heard Naruto mention Iruka's name; and when she saw that Naruto was helping Iruka up, she pushed Genma away with her sword.

"I'll finish you later - I've got some business to take care of!" She winked when Genma stared at her in confusion. And then she ran straight for Mizuki and Gai.

"Kotetsu, Izumo, prepare the ship!" She called urgently. "I'll help Naruto with Iruka once I'm done with this traitorous piece of shit."

Kotetsu and Izumo looked back at Kurenai and Tenzou hesitantly, but when it became clear they had only fought to defend themselves, and not to attack, they abandoned their fights and hurried back to the ship.

When Anko reached Gai and Mizuki, she sent a look to Gai, telling him to back off; and with a quick nod, he backed down and let her go after Mizuki. He would have liked to have finished his battle with him, as he wasn't one to back down from a fight, but he understood her need to face him, herself - this was clearly a personal matter.

Iruka and Naruto slowly hobbled past Kakashi's crew, who was just standing around, not entirely sure what they were supposed to do now; and Genma and Tenzou stood together, watching when the duo stopped, both exhausted and panting for breath. Iruka was struggling to keep his eyes open, and Naruto was struggling to stand up; but after a moment, Naruto grit his teeth and tightened his grip around Iruka, and let out a grunt as he put in all his strength to try and move him along; and Iruka tried to put less weight on him as they continued forward. But despite their greatest efforts, they only shuffled just another small step for.

"I can't watch this anymore… Genma, give me a hand."

Iruka looked up to find Genma and Tenzou approaching them; and the two of them took him from Naruto, telling him to take it easy, that they've got it from here.

"You, too? Why are you all… helping us out…?" Iruka asked weakly as he leaned on Genma, who had the sturdier build.

"Because those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum, as Kakashi says." Tenzou replied. "Even if _we're_ not friends, you mean something to our captain; and that's enough for us to step in."

"Well, please… Take me to him." Iruka requested. "I need to see him before I… In case I…"

"Got it."

In what felt like no time at all, Iruka found himself at the entrance to Kakashi's office; and he watched as Tenzou knocked on the door and opened it, before stepping inside alone.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked.

"Iruka is here to see you, Captain."

"I thought I told him to get out of my sight. His crew is here now. He should just leave, like he intended to."

"Kakashi," He said more softly. "I know you're upset with him, but I really think you should -"

"No." Kakashi growled. "He made his choice."

Tenzou turned back to Iruka, who was leaning against the doorway with Genma by his side.

"It doesn't look like he's going to budge. Let's get you back to your - hey, what are you doing?!" He exclaimed as Iruka pushed himself off the doorway and staggered into the office.

"K-Kakashi…" Iruka said, ignoring Tenzou's calls to stop.

When Kakashi didn't say anything, Iruka looked towards his desk and saw that he had a pen in his hand and was filling out some paperwork, pretending to concentrate on it. Iruka shuffled a little closer to him, noting how Kakashi still hadn't glanced in his direction; and he reached into his pocket.

"I j-just want to give your l-letter opener back to you…" He said, stammering as his body's trembles only got worse. "I thought I w-would need it to defend myself with, b-but I didn't. Your crew has been k-kind to me."

He shuffled another couple of steps closer, and Kakashi flipped over to the next page of the form he was filling out, still not speaking, a small frown on his face.

"I'm sorry for a-all the trouble I c-caused, and for h-hurting you." He said. "I don't expect y-you to forgive me, but just k-know that I still care about y-you."

When Iruka took his next step, he felt his muscles grow even weaker; and he gripped the letter opener tighter, and grit his teeth as he tried to approach Kakashi's desk - he was determined to return what he stole. But it was starting to slip from his grip; and when he looked down, he frowned.

"S-S-Sorry, it looks like I got some b-blood on it." He said apologetically.

Iruka took another step forward, and his knees gave way, knocking him to the floor.

Kakashi looked up in alarm when he heard the loud crash; and when he saw all the blood oozing from Iruka's back, he jumped up from his chair and rushed over to him, his stomach twisting in knots.

"Iruka! What happened?!" He asked in a panic, wishing he'd looked up sooner - he felt like a right asshole, knowing Iruka was like this, and he'd told him to get lost.

"He got struck saving a boy from a traitor amongst his crew." Tenzou said.

"Shit!" Kakashi cursed as he gently rolled Iruka over, resting his head on his lap as he saw his face. "One of you, get the first aid kit, _now_!"

As Genma ran off, Iruka's eyes fluttered open, and he stared up at Kakashi, his gaze half dazed; and he smiled weakly at him. Kakashi's throat closed up; and he reached out and gently cupped Iruka's face with one hand, and carefully tucked hair behind his ears with the other.

"Kakashi… Y-You're here." He said, his voice just a whisper now.

"Hey, keep your eyes open." Kakashi said urgently, gently shaking him as his eyes started to roll into the back of his head. "You can't go to sleep yet."

"I d-don't think I can s-s-stay awake much l-longer."

"I-Iruka, don't do this to me." Kakashi said shakily. Iruka tried reaching up towards him; and Kakashi quickly took his hand, holding it in his.

"I-It's okay." Iruka said with a smile. "You're going to K-Konoha, right? I-I'll find you there w-when I wake up. I promise…"

And as Iruka lost consciousness, the last thing he heard was Genma arriving with medical supplies, and Anko yelling at Kakashi for not putting pressure on his wound or, turning him the wrong way, or something like that. And he knew then, that he really had a chance.

Anko would _never_ let him die.


	10. Chapter 10

When Iruka woke up, the first thing he noticed was that his back was throbbing, and felt stiff, like it hadn't moved in a while, and he wouldn't be able to move it now. He felt trapped, and almost claustrophobic, being stuck, lying down in bed; and he wanted so badly to sit up, to get up, and figure out what was going on - what had happened to him, and where was he now?

Iruka grit his teeth as he gripped the sides of the mattress and used his arms to try and pull himself up; but the moment he applied pressure, an unexpected sharp pain stabbed into his back, and he quickly relaxed into the bed again, taking heavy breaths as he waited for it to ease. He waited a moment to gather his strength, and he tried to hoist himself up again, this time with the intent to get himself used to the sharp pain so he could keep pushing forward and eventually get himself up - there was no way he was going to be laying down all day.

With a grunt, he pushed harder, wincing as his back protested the movement; and slowly, but steadily, he rose. About halfway up, he paused, steadying himself on his elbows as he caught his breath; and when he was ready, he pushed

himself the rest of the way up, gasping as he recovered his strength and waited for the pain to ease.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps; and he looked towards the doorway just in time to see a blur of movement of something rushing right for him.

"Ruka! You're awake!" Naruto exclaimed with a grin, leaping into his lap and knocking him back down again.

"Argh! Careful, buddy!" Iruka hissed as the ache that was throbbing through his back began to pound through his entire body, beating his already broken body.

"Sorry, Ruka!" Naruto apologised, loosening his grip and burying his head into his chest. "I'm just so happy you're back!"

"Me, too." Iruka smiled fondly, petting his hair.

As eager as Iruka had been to get up before, with Naruto in his lap, giving him the warmest hug he'd felt in a while, he was now content laying there and holding him close. It had been way too long since he'd seen him; and after being with him practically every day for about ten years - after being with him since he first found him as a toddler, he had missed him so much being gone for what felt like a lifetime.

"Ruka…" Naruto mumbled into his chest.

"Mm?" Iruka hummed.

"Don't ever leave us again." He said. "That's my final order as Captain."

"I won't." Iruka said, chuckling to himself as he ruffled Naruto's hair.

"Promise?" Naruto asked, as he pulled back to look into his eyes.

"Yes, I promise." Iruka said more seriously.

"Good!" Naruto grinned, hopping off the bed again. "Now I'm going to get the others!"

"Hey, do you think you can you help me sit up, first?" Iruka called out before he disappeared.

"Sure!"

It turned out Naruto didn't need to get the others, because they had heard the commotion; and in just seconds, Kotetsu, Izumo, and Anko were all trying to squeeze through the doorway together to get to him. Somehow, they managed to get through without hurting each other or falling to the ground, and they all stood by Iruka's bed excitedly.

"Look who's back from the dead!" Kotetsu grinned.

"You had me so worried!"

"It's good to have you back!"

"Guys, guys, one at a time, please!" Iruka laughed.

"Sorry!" Kotetsu apologised. "We're just so happy to see you again. You've been out for a couple of days. How are you feeling?"

"My back is killing me, but otherwise I feel okay."

"Can you move your limbs? How are your stitches? Do they feel okay?" Anko asked in concern.

"Uhh, stitches are fine, and…" Iruka wiggled his toes and bent his legs, and moved his arms around again. "It seems that I can move my limbs."

"Thank goodness for that!" Anko sighed in relief. "If that bastard had paralysed you…"

"I'm sorry for putting you guys in danger." Iruka said, his eyes falling to the floor. "I should have done a more thorough check on Mizuki before letting him join us."

"Don't blame yourself, Ru." She replied. "He fooled us all."

"What happened to him, after…" Iruka asked. "The last thing I remember is jumping in to save Naruto, and then you running off to fight him."

"You don't want to know the details… But he's gone. For good." Anko assured.

"I had a feeling that was the case. Thank you." Iruka said. "And thank you all for coming back for me. I missed you guys."

"You can thank Naruto for that." Izumo smiled, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "He was the one who came up with the plan."

"You were?!" Iruka asked in surprise, looking over at Naruto.

"Yeah!" Naruto grinned proudly. "I've been the captain ever since you gave me your jacket, and everyone let me do what I want!"

"To an extent!" Izumo chimed in when Iruka frowned in concern. "He said he wanted to still be the captain since you weren't there, and we weren't letting him go after you immediately; and we were curious to see how he'd run the ship, so we let him, but said we'd step in if he was going to do something stupid. He took the job seriously, and tried to copy things he'd seen you do before, and thought ahead for once, so we didn't have to interfere at all."

"He did a great job, in my opinion." Kotetsu assured.

"Oh, and ah, since you're back now, you can have your jacket back." Naruto laughed sheepishly.

"No. You keep it - it sounds like you've earnt it." Iruka smiled fondly.

"Really?! Thank you, Ruka!" Naruto exclaimed with a bright grin.

"While we're giving people things, here." Anko said, reaching into her pants pocket. "That dumbass captain wanted you to have this."

Anko pulled out a familiar letter opener, stained with blood; and as Iruka carefully took it, his memories came rushing back to him, of how he thought he was dying, and wanted so desperately to reach Kakashi; how he'd tried so hard to apologise and wanted to make up with him; and how when he'd collapsed, Kakashi had rushed over to him like their fight had never happened at all. Iruka frowned.

"I was trying to give this back to him that night… Did he say why he wanted me to have it?"

"Something about making sure you remember your promise."

"A promise?" Iruka twirled the letter opener in his fingers as he thought.

"Oh!" He exclaimed, his eyes widening in realisation.

"What?"

"We have to go to Konoha."

"Konoha?" Kotetsu asked. "Why? What's there?"

"That's where Kakashi was heading. That's where he lives."

"Wait. Did you... With the _captain_?" He shared a wide-eyed look with Izumo.

"It doesn't matter." Iruka answered, his face going red with blush.

" _Damn_ , Iruka! You've got game!"

"Huh? What happened?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing you need to know about." Iruka replied, sending a warning glance at the adults in his crew, whose eyes were glimmering mischievously.

"I'll tell you later." Anko whispered in Naruto's ear with a sly grin.

"Anko!" Iruka scolded.

Everyone laughed, Anko cackling the loudest; and although Iruka was annoyed and hated being teased, he felt a warmth swell in his chest, and he couldn't help but laugh, too.

He was home; and everything was going to be okay.


	11. Chapter 11

Iruka looked around the village nervously, gripping his cane. It had taken several days to reach the ports in the Land of Fire, another few to trade with merchants and sell some of the loot he and his crew had collected on their voyage; and then another several to organise safe travel inland and get to Konoha; and now that he and his crew was here, he was beginning to question everything. Did Kakashi _really_ want to see him? What was he going to say when they finally reunited - would there be hope for a future together, or were they going to go their separate ways?

Iruka's eyes fell. Surely this was a final goodbye - he and Kakashi had completely different lives; how could they make it work?

"Hey, it'll be okay." Anko said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Just go to the address I was given before we left Kakashi's ship."

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"

"I can't. I have plans."

"Huh? I thought you weren't joining the guys this time…"

"I'm not." She said, her cheeks becoming tinged with a light pink.

" _Ohh_. You're meeting someone." Iruka grinned. "Who is it? The merchant from the Land of Stone who took us here that you were flirting with?"

"No. He's… The person I'm seeing is from Konoha."

"How do you know someone from Konoha?"

"Ah, well, you know that Genma guy? We were flirting a little while we were fighting, and he kinda gave me his address when he got Kakashi's for you…" Anko replied, a little embarrassed. "He was also a really good assistant when I was trying to save you, so I thought I should visit him, and at least thank him."

"I guess we won't be seeing you at dinner, then." Iruka teased.

"As if _you're_ going to be back at the tavern tonight!" Anko countered. "Anyway, don't fret. That captain of yours may be a dumbass, but I could tell he really cared for you when I was fixing you up; so go and get him."

"Thanks." Iruka smiled.

He and Anko parted ways shortly after their chat, each of them needing to be at other ends of the village; and Iruka studied the streets with interest as he hobbled through the village. He didn't often get a chance to travel inland since he was always on the run, and couldn't stay in any one place too long; and he was really enjoying the change of scenery. He hadn't seen so much green in ages - it was beautiful; and the air was fresh in a way that was different to the ocean breeze. But it wasn't just the forest that he liked - the atmosphere was so peaceful, like all the people living here were content with life, and no one was left to suffer; and everyone he had come across so far had been very friendly and welcoming. It was the kind of place you could call home. If only he _could_ settle in a place like this to raise Naruto - the life he had now really wasn't meant for children, or anyone his age…

Iruka reached Kakashi's house a lot faster than he thought he would; and for a moment, all he could do was stand at the front gate and stare, frozen in fear as his nerves stirred again. Despite Anko's reassurance that everything would be okay, that Kakashi still cared for him, Iruka was still scared that this would be a goodbye visit, or even worse; he would still be angry, and wouldn't talk to him or want anything to do with him at all, and it would be a _painful_ goodbye. 

Iruka took a deep breath, opened the gate, and followed the path past Kakashi's flowering trees and shrubs, right to his front door, in which both the screen and thick wood was shut. His heart was pounding wildly, and anxiety was rushing right through him, but it was too late to back down now - he had to do this.

Before he could talk himself out of it, he knocked on the door; and almost instantaneously, he heard a stampede of feet racing for the door, and a chorus of barks. Iruka stepped back, and widened his eyes in surprise - had he gotten the wrong house? Had he been given the wrong address? And just how many dogs did this person have?

"Just a minute." A muffled voice called from inside.

Iruka heard a sharp whistle, which made the barking stop immediately; and he soon heard someone approach and unlock the wooden door. When it was open, Iruka could see a whole pack of dogs of various breeds and sizes watching him excitedly, their tails thumping on the wooden floor; and when he looked up from them, his eyes travelled from their owner's casual dark cotton pants to their loose-fitting plain navy shirt; and when his gaze met with theirs, Iruka's heart leapt in his throat.

"Kakashi…" He said hesitantly.

"I-Iruka?" Kakashi greeted in surprise. "Is that you?"

He unlocked his screen door, telling his dogs to get back; and he stepped out into his yard, his heart pounding excitedly as he took a better look at him. Iruka had his hair back in a low bun, tied off with a dark red ribbon; and his golden sleeper earring had been changed to a slightly bigger, more decorative hoop. He was wearing a white long sleeved shirt beneath a crimson embroidered vest; and his dark brown dress pants were tucked into gleaming knee length black leather boots that had been polished so well Kakashi could see his reflection in them. There was a thick black belt around his pants; and attached to that was a small material pouch, which Kakashi could only assume was a money bag. He had clearly gone out of his way to dress formally; and Kakashi was lost for words - he was really blown away with his outfit.

"Wow. You uh, look nice." He managed to choke out.

"Thank you." Iruka blushed.

"How's your injury?" Kakashi asked, eyeing off the cane.

"Healing really well." Iruka replied. "Anko told me there will probably be a scar, but that doesn't really worry me."

"Anko, huh…" Kakashi muttered. "She's the one who yelled at me and said I was as useless as a broken keg before helping you, isn't she…"

Iruka giggled; and Kakashi cocked his head to the side, studying him curiously.

"I'm sorry." Iruka replied, his eyes still full of amusement. "Anko can be rude when she's stressed, and will insult anyone. Please don't take it personally."

"Maa, I'll take your word for it." Kakashi replied with a wave of his hand.

He and Iruka fell silent; and as time ticked by, his mind began to race as the atmosphere became more and more awkward. He wanted to say something, _knew_ what he had to say; but for some reason, he was lost for words. Suddenly, Iruka cleared his throat, and opened his mouth to speak.

"Listen…" He began.

"I think we need to -."

"Can we talk?"

Kakashi and Iruka looked at each other in surprise, and chuckled nervously.

"I'm going to take the dogs out the back, and then I'll let you in. Okay?"

"Okay." Iruka replied, his stomach twisting in knots.

This was it. It was time for the biggest moment of his life.

Iruka gulped.

It was time to learn his fate.


	12. Chapter 12

Iruka was sitting on Kakashi's lounge, waiting patiently for him to bring over a cup of tea. He was still nervous, but somehow, being inside made him feel more assured and settled than when he'd been outside. Perhaps it was Kakashi's scent lingering everywhere, or the familiarity of seeing a bookcase filled with tacky porn, or maybe it was the fact that he'd been invited in, in the first place; but whatever the reason, it felt right, like this was the place he was supposed to be right now, this was what the universe had been pushing him to do.

Suddenly, Kakashi appeared, carrying a white mug with a pug printed on it, wearing large sunglasses and a hat flipped backwards, and a caption _Pug Life_ in one hand; and a black mug with yellow cat eyes staring at him in the other. Iruka raised his eyebrow in surprise - the designs were a complete contrast to the neat, simple designs of his belongings in the White Fang, and was very much unexpected.

"Is something wrong?" Kakashi asked as he placed Iruka's tea on the coffee table, and the pug mug with his drink right in front of his space.

"N-Not at all!" Iruka said, sparks shooting through his chest as Kakashi's knee brushed against him as he took a seat. "Thank you."

He picked up his tea and took a sip to distract himself from the way his knee tingled after Kakashi had touched it; and when Kakashi settled, he placed it back down again, nervous, but ready to start the conversation.

"Um, one of the reasons I came to see you is because there's something I need to give you." He began awkwardly, reaching into his money pouch.

"Hn?"

Kakashi watched curiously as he pulled out a small rectangular box, and handed it over to him. He examined the dark box, looking to see if there were any brand names or hints of what it could be, but it was completely blank. He untied the ribbon holding it closed, and slid the lid off the top; and when he looked inside, he saw a shiny, new letter opener laying across a small white cushion.

Actually… That wasn't just any letter opener… It was _his_ \- the one he had given to Iruka.

Kakashi took it out of the box and examined it carefully. There was not a mark on it - no blood, no finger prints, no grime in the cracks of the design or the engraved words; it looked brand new.

"You… got it cleaned and polished…" Kakashi said, staring at it in disbelief.

"Yeah." Iruka said sheepishly. "There was quite a bit of blood on it, and I didn't want to return it to you in bad condition."

"Thank you." Kakashi replied gratefully.

Despite how easily he'd given it away, the letter opener was actually really important to him, since it had been a gift from Obito before he'd sacrificed his life for him; and to see that Iruka had gone out of his way to clean it up for him… Kakashi was lost for words.

"There's also something else…" Iruka said nervously.

He reached into his pouch and pulled out an even smaller package, and handed it over.

"What's this?" Kakashi asked curiously, examining the tiny brown paper bag.

"Open it."

Kakashi unrolled the package, and when he reached inside, his fingers curled around a pile of flimsy, cool metal, and a larger lump of some kind. He carefully pulled his fingers out and opened his hand, palm up, beneath the bag, and gently poured its contents onto it; and when he saw the necklace with a golden dolphin charm hanging from the chain, his heart fluttered wildly.

"This is…" Iruka took a breath. "I didn't think words would work anymore, so I wanted to get you something to apologise for betraying and hurting you, and to show that I really do like you. I uh, didn't steal it - I paid with my own money; so I hope that counts towards something. If you don't like it, you can always sell it, or something - the dolphin is made of real gold, and its eyes has real diamonds embedded into them." He said, scratching the scar along his nose nervously.

"You really did all this for me?"

"Yeah, I… I want to make things right again." Iruka began hesitantly. "I don't know what set off my feelings toward you that day, but they haven't turned off, even after our time apart; and I still want to be with you. You mean a lot to me; and I wanted to get you something to remember me by, so that you'd know that even if we're apart from each other, I'm still thinking of you."

"Ru…" Kakashi sighed as he examined the necklace. "You're saying a lot of things that I want to believe, but if we're being realistic, what's going to happen if I said I wanted to be with you, too? We spend time together while you're in the village, and have a good time; but when it's time for you and your crew to go, or for me to return to the waters, what then? Could you guarantee that you would return? It'll only just end up as a fling, won't it?"

"Kakashi, no." Iruka said softly, placing a hand on his knee. "I like you too much to have a fling with you."

"Then… Do you like me enough to settle down?" Kakashi asked.

"W-With you?" Iruka asked, a blush creeping on his face.

"No - well, y-yes, maybe, in the future." Kakashi stammered, slightly flustered. "But I meant would you settle down in the village or somewhere nearby so I could see you more?"

"I'm a wanted pirate… That's not an option for me." Iruka answered sadly, glancing away.

"Regardless of that, if you could, would you?"

Iruka fell silent. Of course he wanted it. He'd always wanted to find some place safe for him, Naruto, Anko, Kotetsu, and Izumo to settle down. Being out at sea, sightseeing, and hanging out with everyone was fun; but living as a pirate, not knowing when their next meal was going to be, being targeted since they're wanted, and always having to put themselves in danger to survive… He'd love to be able to go to sleep at night knowing that his family was safe for sure; and after meeting Kakashi, he loved the idea of being close to him and being able to see him regularly. But that was just a dream; and pirates didn't get the leisure of following dreams.

"Answer me, please." Kakashi requested softly. "It's important."

"Yes, I would..." He whispered, his vision going blurry. "I want to."

"Hey, don't cry." Kakashi said, shifting closer and gently brushing a tear away from his face. "If you really want to settle, I'll help you find a way. The Hokage owes me a few favours - I might be able to pull some strings for you."

"I appreciate the offer, but… what about the others? I can't just abandon them - my crew is my family."

"How many others are there?"

"Four… We've been together for years, and they need me to protect them."

"Hmm…" Kakashi hummed thoughtfully. "Do you think I could meet them?"

"Huh? Why?"

"If I can learn more about them, and why they're with you, I'll have a better chance of convincing the Hokage to help you all out." Kakashi said. "Plus, if you're serious about wanting a future with me, I have to meet your family eventually, right?"

"I-Is that your way of saying you accept my apology, and that you're still interested in me?"

"Maa, you could say that." Kakashi replied warmly.

"Good." Iruka murmured, cupping Kakashi's face as he instantly filled with relief. "Because there's something I've been wanting to do with you for a while now."

"Oh? And what might that be?"

"I think you know." Iruka hummed as he pressed his lips into a deep, tender kiss.


	13. Chapter 13

Iruka gently guided Kakashi's face over to him and pressed his lips to his in a deep, tender kiss; and when they touched, time seemed to still around him. His heart exploded with a euphoric feeling that fluttered right through his chest, snaking along his limbs; and when he caught Kakashi's scent, his head felt lighter, like he was growing drunk just by being this close to him. It was different to the first time they'd kissed and been together like this - back then, it had just been a craving of physical touch, and they'd had to get through everything quickly when they'd gotten caught in the heat of the moment; but now, they touched to communicate, to share their feelings with one another, and explore each other more thoroughly.

Kakashi pressed back into Iruka's kiss, magnetised by his touch; and he gently placed a hand on his shoulder blade, and another on his lower back as he carefully guided back on the lounge. Iruka stretched out as he lay back, supported by the arm rest behind him; and Kakashi slid in between his legs as he slipped his tongue in Iruka's mouth, wanting to taste more of him. His heart was going wild - he couldn't believe he actually had a chance with Iruka now, that everything he'd said about liking him hadn't just been words, that he was serious and actually wanted to settle down right here, in the village, where they could see each other; and so much emotion was welling up inside, all Kakashi wanted to do was kiss him all over.

Kakashi's fingers wove through Iruka's hair; and he gently tugged on the ribbon around his bun, untying it, and unravelling his hair, letting it loose. He ran a hand through the soft strands, his fingers following it down to his shoulder blades; and when they escaped his hair, he gently cupped Iruka's cheeks, and gave him a quick peck before letting go and pulling back.

Iruka looked up at him curiously, his cheeks flushed, and eyes glowing with desire; and Kakashi's heart fluttered as he studied his face, and the straight locks messily caressing his skin - he felt like he was seeing Iruka for the first time all over again.

"Gosh, you're beautiful." He murmured, reaching out to run his fingers through his hair again.

Iruka felt a warm, pleasant tingle spread across his body, like Kakashi was touching him everywhere all at once; and the way he gazed at him like he was the only man in the world made his heart skip a beat. Kakashi slid his hair back behind his ear on one side, and trailed his fingers down the side of his neck, gently brushing his head to the side. Iruka tilted his head in response to Kakashi's fingers, exposing his neck completely; and in moments, Kakashi's fingers were gone, and soft, wet lips were pressing into his skin.

Iruka closed his eyes, and let out a breathless sigh, his hands finding their way to Kakashi's waist; and as he held him, Kakashi began kissing a trail along his neck. Iruka's sweet but spiced scent was sending him into a frenzy, like he wasn't just breathing it in, it was reaching and warming his very soul; and it awakened the urge to kiss him senseless - he _had_ to show Iruka what he was doing to him. 

Kakashi lightly scraped his teeth along Iruka, and finished off the movement with a suck at his neck; and Iruka dug his fingers into his shirt, gripping hold of him more tightly. Kakashi grinned as he pressed his lips to Iruka - he loved the way he responded to his touch; and he repeated what he'd done, and continued to nibble and suck at his skin as he worked along the trail.

Iruka's hands snaked their way up to Kakashi's back, and he pressed his arms against him tightly, inviting him closer, to sit on top of him instead of hover; but instead of taking the hint, Kakashi slid his own hands down to Iruka's chest, and began to slowly undo the buttons on his vest.

"You really do look good in this," He murmured between kisses on Iruka's lips again, "but I think I'll have to take it off now."

As Kakashi slipped his vest off, Iruka stirred beneath him, his body growing hot; and he sat up, reaching down to untuck his shirt and take that off, too. Kakashi pressed his lips against Iruka's in a deep, wet kiss and put his hands over his when the shirt was freed from his pants; and as Iruka melted into the kiss, and his grip weakened on his shirt, Kakashi let go of him to grab it and pull it up, himself - Iruka's injury had been in the back of his mind, and he didn't want him to get hurt in his rush to get undressed.

When Iruka's shirt was off, Kakashi took his own off, too; and this time, when Iruka wrapped his arms around him and invited him closer, he settled on his lap, his body pressing into him as he sucked at his neck again. Kakashi's hands slid along Iruka's naked torso, his fingers brushing along his chest, and then down to his abdomen, exploring his sculpted muscles; and Iruka's fingers dug into him every time he touched a particularly sensitive spot.

Kakashi smiled into his next kiss, as he drifted from the trail he'd made on Iruka's neck and started working his way along his chest; and when his lips brushed against Iruka's nipple, he jolted beneath him and let out an audible gasp. His body had already felt like it was on fire, like Kakashi's touches had soaked through his skin, right to his very soul; and that gentle brush against his skin had given him a glimpse of the explosion that was building up inside of him.

"Kakashi…" Iruka whispered breathlessly as he continued to tease him.

Kakashi's hands slid down Iruka's body, taking their time to explore his abs as he continued to kiss and suck at his chest; and when they finally reached his hips, he unbuckled his belt and loosened his pants, slipping his hand inside. He found Iruka's hardening erection beneath his underwear material, and curled his fingers around it, gently massaging it as he felt along its length.

"Hah!" Iruka gasped, gripping hold of Kakashi even tighter, his nails digging into his back.

Kakashi was loving the way Iruka reacted to his touch. He loved how expressive he was, and how his body told him exactly what he needed, even when he couldn't speak; and every time he writhed beneath him, gripped onto him even tighter, and cried out, only made him want to touch him more. It was making him stir-crazy; and he wanted _more_.

Iruka cried out in protest when Kakashi stopped and backed away; but when it was only to help him out of the rest of his clothes, he was quick to assist, eager for Kakashi to touch him again. When he was naked, Kakashi pressed his lips to his again, and then picked him up in a bridal style lift, taking care to avoid his injury; and carried him to the bedroom.

As he passed the doorway, he kicked a couple of dog toys to the side, then gently sat Iruka at the end of the bed, kissing him again as he reached for his pants. When he got them off, Iruka put his hands on his hips and pulled him forward, in between is legs; and he took a moment to admire Kakashi's body as he slipped his fingers past the hem of his dark briefs.

He hadn't gotten a chance to see much skin when he was on the ship - even when they'd had sex, it had been quick and mostly clothed, and he'd been fucked from behind; and now that he finally could see his body, he was even more turned on - Kakashi was _hot_.

Iruka slid Kakashi's briefs away, revealing a fully erect cock beneath; and he felt his own tingle excitedly as he stared at it hungrily - his body knew that it was his, and it wanted it _now._

Iruka grabbed Kakashi's shaft with his hand, gently gliding up and down in a rhythmic movement; and his other hand pressed against his hip, sliding from the bone, up his side, and back again, indulging in the skin on skin contact. Kakashi let out a breathy sigh as Iruka felt him up, a pleasant sensation lingering wherever he touched; and he looked down, devouring Iruka's seduced expression.

Iruka felt Kakashi watching him, and he looked up, a lustful glint in his eyes and playful smirk creeping on his face; and when they made eye contact, he slid his hand back down to the base of Kakashi's cock, and leaned forward, pressing his lips to Kakashi's tip. He licked all around it, swirling his tongue as he gently sucked; and when he started moving his hand along his shaft, too, Kakashi groaned as pleasure pulsated through him.

He closed his eyes as Iruka started tasting him all over, sliding his tongue along his shaft, sucking and teasing wherever he touched; and he got lost in the feeling of being both satisfied and not satisfied enough as Iruka kept touching him in all the right places, and finding where he was most sensitive.

Suddenly, Iruka's hands left his cock; and when he opened his eyes and looked down, he saw Iruka open his mouth even wider as he put his lips over his tip, and then he sucked right the way down, taking him whole. Kakashi shuddered as his entire groin filled with the pleasant, moist warmth of Iruka's throat, and shockwaves of euphoria buzzed through him; and his hand went to Iruka's head, his fingers lacing through his locks as he followed his head's movements.

"Hah…" Kakashi breathed.

Everything Iruka was doing was sending him into a love-drunk frenzy; and his body was telling him that he had to act soon, or else he wouldn't get a chance to later.

"Ru…" He murmured. "Are you ready for me?"

Iruka slowly pulled away from Kakashi's cock, and looked up at his half-dazed expression with a hot smile on his face.

"Did you really have to ask?"

Kakashi leant down, cupping Iruka's face as he pressed a kiss to his forehead, and when he pulled back, Iruka slid himself further up the bed, and sat there, his upper half supported by his arms as he waited for him to join him on the bed. He watched as Kakashi opened his bedside drawer and pulled out a bottle of lube, throwing it on the bed; and when he found his condoms, he grabbed one, looked at him, his expression slightly hesitant, and then turned his attention back to his box, grabbing a couple more. Iruka's face grew hot; and when Kakashi made eye contact with him, he winked, and hopped on the bed.

Iruka laid back, spreading his legs apart, presenting himself to him; and Kakashi's groin tingled excitedly as he stared. He wanted him so much more than the first time they had sex, when he had been so horny he didn't have the time to take things slow and explore Iruka more thoroughly; and as he shifted up close to him and pressed a teasing finger by his hole as he reached for the lube, Iruka's squirming told him that he was dying for this, too.

Kakashi squeezed some lube on his fingers, and gently pressed them around Iruka's hole, swirling around it teasingly as he spread the gel around the area; and when the first one quickly slipped in, he gently pushed it until his entire finger was inside, his others curled around Iruka's cheeks, and slowly pumped back and forth, twisting it at different angles to see if there was one Iruka liked.

No matter how he moved, Iruka wriggled around, seemingly a little uncomfortable, as though he was searching for something that wasn't there; and Kakashi carefully pulled his lone finger away and tried two at once. Iruka let out a small moan as Kakashi's fingers slipped inside of him, instantly relieving some of his pent up need; and when he began to thrust again, every time his fingers slid in and his hole slightly stretched, small waves of pleasure began to pulse through him.

Kakashi loved seeing how receptive Iruka was to his movements, how his squirming about had transitioned into more rhythmic movements with his hips; and, curious to see how he'd handle more, he carefully slid his two fingers out until only the tips were inside, and manoeuvred them so that a third finger could fit inside.

"Ahh!" Iruka gasped, gripping the bed sheets.

His entrance had welcomed Kakashi's fingers faster than before, and the sudden thickness pressing into him had massaged all his sensitive spots instantaneously, and aroused him even more. Kakashi continued thrusting the way he had been before, twisting with each movement to massage his ring and loosen it; and Iruka moaned, and bucked his hips in a faster rhythm as he slid along Kakashi's fingers, trying to fill himself up more.

Kakashi's excitement only grew as he watched how Iruka reacted to him, how he had gone beyond matching his movements, to desperately moving without restraint; and he could see that Iruka was asking for more - begging for it, really, as he became more lost in the moment and is pleasure grew.

When Kakashi pulled his fingers out, Iruka turned his head to look at him, his eyes wild and frenzied, and expression filled with pure need; and Kakashi slid his hand along his thigh, gently caressing it as he reached for a condom. He tore the package open, throwing the rubbish to the side; and once he slid the already lubricated rubber on, he shifted closer to Iruka until he was just inches away from his hole, and pressed his tip against it.

He took one last look at Iruka, silently asking if he was okay with this; and when the only complaint in his expression was that he wasn't getting on with it fast enough, Kakashi pushed through his hole, sending the tip of his cock inside. It slipped in easily, like a key in a lock, like his cock was made just for him; and he slowly pushed himself in with small, light thrusts as he run a hand along Iruka's thigh, caressing him.

Iruka's body stirred with ecstasy as Kakashi filled him up, massaging all the spots that were itching to be touched; and when he was completely inside, and started to thrust in long, slow movements, he let out a small, breathy noise akin to a moan as he got lost in the sensation.

Kakashi gradually picked up the pace as Iruka adjusted to him and the slower speed was no longer enough; and he leaned forward, his arms by Iruka's chest, and pressed his lips against his in a hot, wet kiss. Iruka gripped an arm with one hand, and cupped his cheek with the other, holding him in place while they fucked; and Kakashi kissed him again, more deeply and tenderly than before. He held himself there as he thrust into Iruka; and as the seconds passed and Iruka melted into his touch, the grip on his arm weakened; and he gently pulled his head away, and worked his way down Iruka's body, instead.

Iruka writhed around when Kakashi revisited all the sensitive places along his chest, kissing, sucking, and nibbling at his skin as he fucked him; and when he gripped at is back, the pads of his fingers digging into him, he started pounding even harder, his arousal growing to its peak.

"A-Ahh!" Iruka gasped loudly.

The euphoria pulsing through him was building up in intensity, the harder and faster Kakashi thrust into him; and the rest of his senses seemed to numb as his pleasure climbed. He was close to losing the last of his control, when everything would reach its peak; and he gripped hold of Kakashi tighter, his hips jerking desperately to feel more, to be fucked even deeper.

Kakashi quickly pulled himself up from Iruka's body, rising above him on his knees, and settled his hands on Iruka's hips, just above his thighs; and he began to thrust again, his cock throbbing, urging him to get back inside of him. Iruka moaned as Kakashi filled him up again, somehow reaching even deeper than before; and as he pounded into him, massaging his wet canal more thoroughly, Iruka gripped the bed sheets tightly as he jerked his hips to Kakashi's rhythm.

He was picking up speed now, slamming into him harder, panting as his own pleasure built up; and he was just seconds away from completely losing himself, to reaching the point of no return. Suddenly, he felt Iruka's hole pulsate around him, loosening and tightening again as he thrust, inviting him even deeper inside; and it was enough to push him over the edge.

There was nothing on Kakashi's mind except how Iruka felt against him, how he made his cock throb in all the right places, how the sparks of pleasure were building up for an explosion; and when Iruka's body shuddered beneath him, trembling as his orgasm rode through, he also came, the cum shooting from his tip, blanketing his cock in warmth as the condom caught his seed.

As he rode out his orgasm, he studied Iruka's wide-eyed expression, watching as he tried to cry out as the intense ecstasy rode through him, but was instead too breathless to make any kind of noise; and in the silence - because he, too, seemed to be holding his breath, he gradually slowed down the pace, pleasuring Iruka as long as he could before they both ran out of steam.

Finally, when it was clear they were both done, Kakashi carefully slipped his cock out of Iruka and took his condom off, throwing it in the small bin nearby, and grabbing a tissue to dry himself. When he was done, he crawled back over to Iruka, planting a kiss on his lips, and lay beside him, turning to study his face as he caught his breath.

"So," He murmured, brushing some hair away from Iruka's face. "Am I worth the exception?"

"Of course you are." Iruka grinned. "You can take me any time."

"Then… Do you want to go again?" Kakashi asked suggestively, holding up the other condoms he'd thrown on the bed.

"Kakashi!" Iruka laughed, trying to swat them out of his hand.

Kakashi chuckled as he stretched his arm out of reach; and when Iruka got close, he caught him in a kiss, his heart swelling with warmth and affection.

Between their conversation earlier, and the sex, all of Kakashi's doubts were gone now; and he had high hopes for the future.

Despite everything that had happened, things really were going to work out between them.


	14. Chapter 14

Iruka entered the tavern nervously. He'd spent the night with Kakashi, getting to know him and his dogs - all _eight_ of them; and if that wouldn't be enough to rile up his crew, the hickeys scattered right along his neck, telling the world about all the sex he'd had, would be. He was hoping his crew would still be asleep at this time of the morning, hoping that they had partied hard while they could and exhausted themselves, that he could get some tea in peace; but the moment he entered the dining area, he immediately heard Naruto complaining, calling Kotetsu names because he wasn't giving him his last rasher of bacon.

Iruka sighed as he walked over to the long wooden table - he'd told them a million times before that they had to be less rowdy when they stopped somewhere, or else they'd get kicked out. They had their backs facing him, so when he reached them, he simply put one hand on each of their shoulders; and he stifled a smirk when both Kotetsu and Naruto jumped beneath him. They turned around curiously, wondering who was touching them; and when they saw him, their eyes widened in surprise.

"Iruka!" They exclaimed simultaneously.

Kotetsu took a closer look at him, instantly spotting the hickeys along his neck; and his surprise switched to amusement, and he let out a loud wolf whistle.

"Rough night, hey?" He winked.

Izumo looked up from his plate and snorted when he saw what Kotetsu was talking about.

"Go on, rub it in." He joked. "You and Anko get to have fun, but 'Tetsu and I get stuck babysitting."

"Like you two lovebirds never get it on!"

"Huh? What are you guys talking about?" Naruto asked.

His eyes darted between Kotetsu and Izumo, before looking up at Iruka again; and when he saw all the marks along his neck, his eyes widened in horror.

"Ruka, what happened to you?!" He exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. "Who beat you up?!"

"No one did. I'm fine." Iruka assured as everyone else at the table snickered.

"Don't lie! You've got bruises all over you!"

Other customers at the tavern turned their heads towards the scene, Naruto's voice attracting their attention; and Iruka's face grew red with embarrassment as some of the onlookers smirked, and the table burst into laughter.

"So, do we get to meet him, too?" Kotetsu asked when the laughter died down.

"Too?"

"You really haven't noticed?" He questioned. "Anko brought her catch home last night."

"Huh?"

Iruka studied the table, his eyes darting from Naruto, to Kotetsu, to Izumo and Anko opposite them; and next to Anko was a man with light brown hair, wearing a beanie and printed long sleeved shirt, leaning back in his chair lazily, his arm around Anko's shoulders. Iruka studied his face, and when he saw the straw sticking out from his mouth, his eyes widened in recognition.

"Genma!" He said in surprise.

"Morning, Iruka… Kakashi."

"Genma." Kakashi nodded as he stepped up beside Iruka.

"That's a new look." He commented, eyeing off the dolphin necklace Iruka had helped him put on.

"Iruka bought it for me."

"Ah."

Kakashi felt everyone's eyes on him when he made himself present, standing there contently as he showed off his gift; and in the silence, he took a better look at Iruka's crew and their wildly mischievous, knowing expressions. He'd spent the most time with Anko, watching her stitch up Iruka's back while she threw insults at him and flirted with Genma; and the other two, Kotetsu, and Izumo, he recognised as the loyal men from the very first fight, who had tried to attack him from behind to rescue Iruka. And finally, there was Naruto, whom he hadn't really gotten a chance to meet yet, but knew that Iruka adored him and thought of him as his own son. When his eyes landed on him, they widened in surprise when they met his suspicious gaze.

Naruto left his spot and stood in front of him; and before Kakashi had any time to react, Naruto balled his hand into a fist, and punched his stomach as hard as he could.

"That's for hitting Iruka!"

"Hn?! You've got it wrong - I didn't hit him!" Kakashi said, stepping back as Naruto tried to hit him again.

"Liar!"

"I'm telling the truth!"

"Then why. Does. He. Look. Beat. Up?!" Naruto asked angrily, trying to punch him with every word he spoke.

"Naruto, stop!" Iruka snapped, grabbing his wrist before he could try again. "Kakashi never hit me. Do you really think I would let him do something like that?"

Naruto stopped and thought about it for a moment.

"No…" He mumbled.

"Now go and apologise, okay?"

"Okay…" Naruto sighed. He looked up at Kakashi.

"Sorry for hitting you."

"And?" Iruka prompted.

"And accusing you of hurting Ruka."

"Don't sweat it." Kakashi responded, smiling contently. "I've been accused of worse."

He looked towards Iruka and winked; and Iruka's face grew red when he recalled accusing Kakashi of using aphrodisiacs in their battle.

"But Ruka, if _he_ didn't do it, why are you hurt?"

"It's not an injury, really." Iruka assured. "It's just… a reaction to something."

"A reaction? You mean like if Izumo eats nuts?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"What are you allergic to, then?"

"Uh… dogs?" Iruka panicked. He really didn't want to be the one to explain hickeys to him.

"I have eight of them." Kakashi supplied, detecting Iruka's discomfort.

"What? Eight?!" Naruto exclaimed. "That's too many! No wonder Ruka has allergies!"

"Maa, you can never have too many dogs!" Kakashi replied warmly.

The initial meeting turned silent pretty quickly after that; and Iruka ushered Naruto back to the table, promising to buy him some more breakfast if he didn't argue anymore. He took a seat beside him, and gestured for Kakashi to take the free spot next to him; and when a waitress came by to check on the table, he ordered Naruto his promised breakfast, and some tea for himself and Kakashi. No one else wanted anything, so the waitress disappeared to prepare his order; and he sat and listened as Naruto told him all about his night, and what Kotetsu and Izumo had gotten up to while he and Anko were gone.

By the time he finished his story about how they had signed up for a darts competition, and conned Naruto into winning for them, promising to split the winnings three ways - no one even noticed him, he said, and the three of them won a lot of prize money; his breakfast arrived, as well as Iruka's and Kakashi's beverages; and while Naruto was digging into his food, Kotetsu leaned over the table and turned to him, wanting to speak.

"So, Ru," He began. "Why did you bring Kakashi here?"

"Ah, well, we were talking about something important when I stayed over, and we wanted to discuss it with you guys."

"Oh? What's happening?"

"Well…" Iruka hesitated. "How would you guys feel about settling down in a village?"

"Ru, you know we can't do that…" Izumo said sadly.

"Yeah - we're pirates." Anko said. "If the wrong people found out, we'd be arrested and killed."

"You're not even that bad, though." Genma said. "You barely took anything from our ship, and no one was killed in either battle."

"Well, I mean, there _was_ Mizuki…"

"But he was one of your own, and a traitor who would have killed you all if he got the chance - that doesn't count." Genma argued. "Honestly, if all your criminal activity is like that, why even go to all that effort trying to catch you? It's not even that big a deal."

"Ah, well, we weren't always like this." Iruka laughed hesitantly.

"Yeah, Iruka was the worst of us!" Kotetsu giggled. "You'd think _he_ was the one was literally nothing, instead of me and Izumo!"

"Hey, you guys took your fair share of things, too!"

"Nothing?" Kakashi asked curiously. "What do you mean?"

From his understanding, pirates usually at least had something to come back to - even if they were criminals, they did have families, or at least a place to go back to.

"We don't really talk about it much, about how we came together…" Iruka said. "But none of us have homes - we're all refugees, of sorts. We used to live out on the streets, for different reasons, for things that were out of our control; and we became pirates because the system turned its back on us, because we're people of no nation; and we wanted better lives for ourselves."

"Do you mind telling me a bit more about that?" Kakashi asked. "I understand if you don't want to, but from what I've heard so far, I think it could help your case."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Anko asked in confusion. The others also turned to Kakashi with equally puzzled expressions on their faces.

"The thing Iruka and I wanted to discuss with you was becoming a citizen of Konoha." Kakashi explained. "If it's something you want, I'm close enough to the Hokage to be able to speak to her about it, and try to convince her to let you stay. But I need to know more about you, first."

"Y-You're serious? You can really do something like that?!" Izumo asked in disbelief.

"Kakashi's got a lot of power and influence here, being one of the Leaf's head officers and all." Genma said.

"For real?!"

"I do." Kakashi nodded. "So please, if you don't mind, could you tell me your stories?"

Kakashi and Genma listened as Iruka began, explaining how his father had died on a dangerous mission in the Navy, and that not long after the funeral, his mother had been kidnapped by some men who claimed his dad owed them something, and insisted that she pay them instead, since he wasn't around anymore. He'd hidden in his closet that day, scared that they'd find him, too; but they never did, and he was safe. He'd lived in the house for as long as he could, waiting for his mother to come back; but without any money for rent, he couldn't stay there; and one day, when he came home, he found that the locks had been changed, and he could no longer get in. So he left.

He went on to explain that one night, when it was storming, he'd found Naruto crying in the streets, where he'd been abandoned as a toddler; and he had found some shelter for him and gotten him some food. The next day, and for a week after, they'd spent hours going around the village together, trying to find his parents, but no one ever had any information, and no one had ever reported him missing, so Iruka took him in. He was only thirteen at the time, but there was no way he was going to abandon a child.

Anko had spoken up next, and said that when she was young, she had been sold off as a live-in servant to a household full of perverted men who abused her when they didn't get their own way; and that one night, when there had been a house party, one of the drunken men, who was supposed to lock her in her room, hadn't done it properly; and she used the opportunity to escape. She'd managed to sneak out of the house, down to their private port, and got ahold of one of their ships. She hadn't known much about sailing, but had managed to get herself several villages away; and when she was trying to find someone to help her continue, because they would surely find her if she was this close, that was where she met Iruka and Naruto. She hadn't trusted them right away, but when Iruka had proven to her that he wouldn't hurt her, and just wanted to help, she'd agreed to let him navigate and sail for her.

Finally, Kotetsu and Izumo shared their story, about how they were from the same place - a small fishing village in the Land of Water; and how one night, soldiers from Hidden Mist invaded them and went on a rampage, destroying the village, setting things on fire, and killing everyone in sight. Izumo had survived by keeping himself hidden in an air pocket under a capsized boat that had been smashed into pieces, and Kotetsu had pretended to be dead when his neighbour had been killed and his heavy body fell on top of him, stopping him from going anywhere. They had been terrified; and when the soldiers had left, it had taken almost an hour before either of them finally moved. Both of them were in shock, and neither of them knew what they were supposed to do; and then Iruka, Anko, and Naruto turned up, having spotted the smoke from afar, and took them away from the devastation.

"… And we've all been together, since." Kotetsu finished. "Does that help, Kakashi?"

"Yes. I think I can get you a citizenship with this information." Kakashi replied. "Thank you all for opening up to me. I know how hard that can be; but I'm sure you will benefit from it."

"We should be the ones thanking you." Iruka said gratefully, smiling as he put a hand on Kakashi's thigh, gently rubbing it. "If your Hokage accepts us as citizens, we'll finally have a place to call home."

"What do you mean, Ru? We've always had a home." Anko said.

"Yeah. Home isn't a place…" Izumo began.

"Home is with _you_ , wherever you are." Kotetsu finished.

"You're just that important to us!" Naruto beamed.

"Y-You guys!" Iruka sniffed.

His chest was swelling with intense affection, giddiness, and warmth; and he was becoming overwhelmed with all the feelings flowing through him, not just from himself, but from everyone around him, too. And soon, he couldn't contain it anymore.

"I love you, too!" He cried.

How did he get so lucky?

He seriously had the perfect family.


	15. Chapter 15

Iruka was on edge. It had been a whole week since Kakashi had met with his crew at the tavern, and he hadn't heard a single thing from him. He _had_ said that negotiations could take up to a week, because sometimes Tsunade would deny his requests, and if he tried to convince her to change her mind, she could be stubborn about it; but it was already the evening of the seventh day, and with no news, Iruka was worried sick. What kind of person was Tsunade? Had she arrested Kakashi for trying to negotiate with her? Was she strict and going to tell him no? What then - would she send her soldiers after him and his crew?

"Ne, Ruka, are you going to eat that?"

"Huh?" Naruto's voice snapped Iruka back to reality, and he turned to him.

"Are you going to eat that?" Naruto repeated, staring hungrily at the bowl in front of him.

Iruka looked down at his half-eaten chicken laksa curry he'd bought for dinner, and his stomach churned in protest.

"Oh, you can have it if you like." He smiled, sliding his bowl over. "You're a growing boy - eat as much as you like!"

"Thank you!" Naruto grinned.

As he dug in to the extra food, the door to the tavern suddenly opened; and Iruka looked over anxiously, hoping to see Kakashi standing there, looking for him; but instead, it was Genma. He had been around a lot to see Anko since they had started dating, or sleeping together, or whatever their relationship was; but Iruka also got the impression he came by because he liked hanging out with his crew - when everyone let loose, they could be pretty entertaining, after all.

Genma nodded in greeting when they made eye contact, and as he made his way over to the table, Iruka responded with a small wave and turned back, trying to mask his disappointment that he wasn't Kakashi. Genma bypassed Kotetsu and Izumo, who were feeding each other bites of their dinner, and greeted Anko with a peck on the cheek while she ate; and he settled beside her, responding to the others as they mumbled their greetings whilst trying to chew.

"Not hungry?" He asked when he spotted the empty space in front of Iruka, and Naruto downing what looked like a second bowl of food.

"No, not really." Iruka replied.

"He'll be back soon."

"I know… It's just been a week today, when he said he'd be back by, and I can't help but worry about what's going on."

Genma sighed.

"Iruka, if there's one thing you should know about Kakashi, it's that you never listen to any time frames he gives you." He said. "He's a great captain, but he's never on time - he was even late to his own promotion."

"Really? How did that happen?"

"If I can recall, he said something along the lines of being lost on the road of life."

"What kind of bullshit excuse is that?!" Iruka giggled. "Surely no one bought it!"

"That's the thing." Genma said. "Whenever someone tries to question him, he just comes up with more ridiculous excuses; so no one actually knows what he's been doing when he's late to things. Come to think of it, no one ever sees him turn up to where he's meant to be, either - he just suddenly appears out of nowhere."

"Come on, surely _someone_ would notice! How could anyone miss Kakashi with hair like that?!"

"Maa, what's that about my hair?"

Iruka yelped, and jumped in his seat when he heard Kakashi's voice behind him; and as he recovered from the scare, he twisted around to see him. He took in his dishevelled, tired form - he looked exhausted, like he hadn't slept in days; and when Iruka's brain registered that it really was him, a giant smile grew on his face, and he got up from his seat and pulled him into a warm embrace.

"Kakashi…" He murmured. "I was so worried about you!"

Kakashi returned the embrace, his heart skipping a beat as Iruka pressed into him, reminding him of what he'd been missing all this time, why he had spent so long fighting with Tsunade; and he rested his chin on his shoulder, soaking in his presence. They hadn't been separated for long, but for some reason, it felt like it had been a lifetime; and once again, Kakashi found himself wondering how he could be so attached to someone he hadn't known long - it was almost as if they were soulmates…

Much too sooner than either of them were willing to admit, Kakashi and Iruka pulled back from their embrace; and Kakashi gave Iruka a quick kiss before guiding him back to the table; and then he took a seat beside him. He took a quick look at everyone - Iruka and Naruto on his side of the table, and Kotetsu, Izumo, Anko, and Genma on the other, each of them watching him in various states of curiosity and anxiousness; and he took a deep breath before finally speaking.

"As you know, I went to speak to Tsunade about giving you citizenship here in Konoha so you can have a place to settle down." He began. "But what I didn't tell you is that I also tried to get her to pardon your crimes to give you more protection. As it stands, you're wanted everywhere, which means even if you were a citizen of Konoha, the Leaf's federal soldiers and secret operations units would still have the authority to arrest you and take you away. If Tsunade pardons your crimes, she has the power to administer it for the entire Leaf nation, which means you will no longer be an enemy to, or be seen as a threat to the Leaf, and no one will be trying to arrest you for any of your old crimes."

"And what happened? What did she say?" Iruka asked.

"That's what I have to talk to you about." Kakashi said. "She was hesitant about granting citizenship, but was still going to do it; and she didn't approve my other request, so I spent the week following her around, doing what I could to change her mind. She still hasn't approved it yet, but she has a proposition for you."

"What kind of proposition?"

"She wants you to prove that you're done with being a pirate, that you really want this, to live a normal, honest life like the rest of us. To do that, everyone but Naruto will have to spend three months in our jail, following a program that is supposed to give inmates a lesson on morals and ethics, and transform them into model citizens. If you pass the program, Tsunade will grant the citizenship request and pardon your crimes, and you will have access to all kinds of help to get you housing, a job, and other things to get you started so you don't revert to your old ways. If you don't pass, you'll be stuck in jail; but from what I've seen, I don't think that's going to be something you'll have to worry about."

"What will happen to Naruto?"

"He was supposed to go to a children's home, as our jail and program is only fit for adults, but I offered to take him in, instead."

"But you've got eight dogs!" Naruto exclaimed. "Won't I get a reaction like Ruka, too?!"

Half the table snickered at his outburst.

"No, I'll make sure you don't!" Kakashi chuckled.

"If you say so…" Naruto said untrustingly, studying him suspiciously.

"You'll be fine, I promise." Iruka assured, ruffling his hair. He then turned to the others sitting across from him.

"So, what do you guys think? Should we do it?" He asked.

"It's up to you - you're the captain." Kotetsu said.

"What? No." Iruka frowned. "I want you all to have a say in this. I can't be the only one to decide."

"Yes you can." Anko said. "You gave each and every one of us a life better than anything we ever could have dreamed of, and you've always put us first, before yourself. Now it's time for you to do what _you_ want to do; and as your crew, your _family_ , we're going to follow you every step of the way. We trust you, and we want to see _you_ happy, too."

"Y-You all really feel this way?" Iruka asked.

"Yes."

"Of course!"

"Uh-huh!"

As each person agreed, and assured him that this was what they wanted, Iruka grew more and more touched, and his heart swelled with a deep love and affection for each and every one of them.

"Now what will it be, Iruka?" Anko asked. "Will we continue to live at sea, or are we going to live on land?"

As Iruka thought about it, he looked out the window of the tavern, just in time to see a shooting star cross the sky; and suddenly, he was reminded of a lullaby, the very first song he sang in front of Kakashi. And he closed his eyes as it played in his head, the same way his mother sang it, as he contemplated his decision.

_When the sky is orange, and yellow, and pink;_

_When the colours change, and the sun starts to sink,_

_You had better hurry inside,_

_If you truly value your life._

_But if you find yourself out in the dark,_

_Be not afraid, and look up at the stars;_

_They can take you anywhere._

_All you have to do is follow your heart._

When Iruka opened his eyes, he looked around at his family, everyone watching him patiently, their eyes bright, and smiles warm; and his heart was telling him that he wanted more than ever to keep them safe, to be able to see them this happy and healthy like this every single day. He knew he would never be able to give them that kind of life out at sea, so there was only one option left for them.

Iruka stood up, grabbing the glass of water he'd gotten with his meal.

"It's time for a new home." He said. "Let's do this."

Iruka raised his glass, and everyone quickly did the same.

"To new beginnings!" He yelled.

Everyone cheered and clinked their glasses in response, becoming even livelier now; and Iruka sat back down, and turned back to Kakashi, smiling fondly as he placed a hand on his thigh.

"Thank you. For everything." He murmured, leaning in to kiss him. "How can I repay you?"

"Well, I haven't seen you in a week, and you don't have to leave until tomorrow, so… Do you want to…?"

"Of course I do." Iruka hummed. "Let's get out of here before anyone notices."

And so Kakashi and Iruka left, hand in hand, eager to spend one more night together, before they were separated once more. But they knew now that it wouldn't be forever. No…

After this rough patch, their story will have only just begun.


	16. Epilogue

"Ruka, hurry _up_! Let's go home already!"

"Naruto, what have I told you before about calling me that when we're at the academy?!" Iruka scolded as he stepped out of the building.

"But you're not teaching anyone right now, and there's no one else around." Naruto argued.

"That doesn't matter. We're still on the school grounds, so we need to uphold our roles as teacher and student."

"It's weird, though." Naruto said, slowing down to let Iruka catch up to him. "I've called you Ruka all my life, and you're basically my dad."

Before Iruka couple reply, Naruto suddenly turned to him with a mischievous grin.

"Ne, does that mean I should start calling you Dad?" He teased. "Hey _Dad_ , can we get ramen on the way home? Please? Can we, Dad?"

"Ahh! P-Please stop!" Iruka cried out, his face growing from embarrassment. "I promise we can stop by Ichiraku if you don't call me Dad again!"

"Alright, I'll stop… _Pa_."

"Naruto!" Iruka burst.

"What? I didn't call you Dad." He giggled cheekily.

"That's it - you're not going to Kotetsu and Izumo's place when Kakashi and I have to work. I'm sending you to Anko's house, instead!" Iruka teased.

"Doubt you would!" Naruto replied, smirking. "She's always working; and when she's not, she and Genma like to get all lovey-dovey - do you really want me to be around that?"

"How about Kakashi's friend, Gai?" Iruka challenged. "He'd be willing to have you."

"Yeah, but are _you_ willing to see him so often?" Naruto asked. "You would be stuck with him for _hours_ when you pick me up; and if you sent Kakashi, you _know_ I'd have to help them out with a ridiculous, and probably dangerous challenge."

"Okay, then, I'll send you to _Tenzou's_ place, instead." Iruka grinned wickedly. "He's a good man, and wouldn't mind the company."

"Ahh, no! You win!" Naruto cried out. "Anything but that! Please! He's scary!"

Iruka chuckled, and ruffled Naruto's hair; and they continued on their walk home in silence, enjoying the afternoon sun on their backs as they reflected on their days. After a while, Naruto studied their surroundings; and his eyes lit up when he recognised the street they were on.

"Ruka, can we take a detour and go to Ichiraku?" He asked. "I'm hungry."

"Mn... We really shouldn't." Iruka frowned. "We're just a couple of streets away from home, and we've still got leftovers from last night."

"But Kakashi didn't cook them! _Please?_ " Naruto begged. "You promised."

Naruto did have a point - leftovers really weren't worth eating unless Kakashi cooked them; and the food that was in the fridge could always go to the dogs. But still...

Iruka thought about it for a bit, and just as he was about to respond, his stomach grumbled loudly, complaining about his decision to head home instead; and he sighed, giving up.

"Alright. How many bowls?"

"Four, please!" Naruto grinned.

"Four? Do you think I'm made of money?!"

"No, but Kakashi is!"

"And how is he going to pay for our food? He's not even here!"

"Maa, I wouldn't be so sure about that."

"K-Kakashi! You scared the hell out of me!" Iruka yelped. "What are you doing back so early? Aren't you supposed to be in a meeting right now?"

"There wasn't much to do today, so we ended up having the meeting after lunch, and were sent home early." He shrugged.

"Oh, well, that's a nice change." Iruka replied. "Naruto and I were about to take a detour and get something to eat at Ichiraku. Want to join us?"

"I was just thinking it's been a while since the three of us have eaten there together..." Kakashi said, smiling warmly as he put an arm around Iruka's waist.

"Ne, Kakashi, can you pay?" Naruto asked as they walked over. "I want four bowls of ramen and Ruka doesn't have much money on him right now."

"Maa, is that the only reason I was invited?"

"Of course not!" Iruka replied. "We invited you because we love you. Isn't that right, Naruto?"

"I guess." Naruto mumbled, slightly embarrassed at having to admit that.

"Well, since you love me, I _suppose_ I can pay."

"Thank you! You're the best!"

As the three of them made their way to Ichiraku, Naruto excitedly talking about all the toppings he was going to have on his ramen, and Kakashi smiling contently as he listened, Iruka's heart swelled, and burst with love.

A year ago, when he'd stepped off his ship to steal some medicine for Anko's pneumonia, he never expected that he would meet his soulmate, and that life would end up like this. It had been hard work, and quite frankly, scary, when he'd been separated from Naruto for three months; but now that they had reunited, and were settled down now, he wouldn't have it any other way. This was where he was meant to be.

"What are you thinking about, Ru?" Kakashi asked, gently rubbing his back.

"Just how lucky I am to have the two of you by my side." He smiled fondly.

"I feel the same way..." Kakashi replied warmly. He put his free hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"I really love you both."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! I am a mod of the Kakairu Rocks forum. It's a community for all kakairu lovers aged 13+, and there is all sorts of things to see & do, from perusing member fanworks and other recs, joining in with our weekly headcanon discussions, and participating in fun, exciting events! Please [come and check us out](https://kakairu.rocks/)! We'd love to see you around!


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